Mind of an Ice Prince
by Geishaaa
Summary: The events that follow the SWA's attempt at hooking up two elementally compatible reapers. Toshiro and Rukia find their lives in turmoil after an elaborate scheme. Counter part of 'Mind of an Ice Princess' told from Toshiro's perspective.
1. Damn it, Matsumoto!

**GUYS! AMAZING NEWS! I HAVE COLLABORATED WITH MY GOOD FRIEND, LETHANWOLF!**

 **We have decided to write a hitsuruki piece (sorry to our regular yaoi fans!) together, my side will be from Toshiro's perspective and LethanWolf will write from Rukia's. I really recommend you read both as it will give you a much better insight into their thoughts/feelings as the story progresses. We think it might read better for you if you split your screen and read them at the same time (scene by scene). Her story is called 'Mind of an Ice Princess' so give it a follow and keep up to date with our updates (we'll update at the same time).**

 **Notes: This is set after the quincy war but there are some changes from the canon. Firstly, Ukitake is alive (yaay), Rukia and Renji never saw Tosh's mature bankai and Rukia achieved her bankai to save her brother in the war.**

 **Warnings: STORY RATING WILL GO UP TO M IN LATER CHAPTERS, so keep that in mind before reading. Swear words, sexual stufffff ;)**

 **Mind of an Ice Prince**

Chapter One: Damn it, Matsumoto!

Toshiro huffed as he stalked through the streets of the Seireitei. Not even the harsh and bitter chill of winter that he normally loved so much could brighten his mood today. Once again, his useless lieutenant had deemed her time better spent away from the office and her duties.

Paperwork towered over both of their desks, and Toshiro was sure he was going to die at his desk one day; the only bit of exercise he seemed to get recently was during times like this when he was searching for Rangiku. He needed her help to run the squad, but the big-busted strawberry blonde was not very co-operative. She always had something on; lieutenant meetings, SWA meetings, and a number of other ridiculous things, such as drinking with friends and her supposed 'match-making' service. These were definitely activities she should be doing only in her spare time, and not during the working hours he paid her for. Toshiro tried to cut her drinking down, but unfortunately their own Head Captain seemed to going against him and actually encouraged Rangiku's party behaviour by joining her most of the time. It was on those days that Toshiro missed Yamamoto; Kyoraku was definitely more open to new ideas and level-headed when it came to issues such as crime and punishment, but he sure did drink a lot, leaving Toshiro to wonder just how much work got done over there; surely Lieutenant Ise couldn't handle it all?

The First Division had actually been one of Toshiro's first stops on his lieutenant hunt, given Rangiku's friendship with both the Kyoraku and Ise, but she was not there. The new Head Captain had been asleep but one of his sixth seats informed the prodigy captain that their own lieutenant was at an SWA meeting, and that's likely where he would find his own second seat. The young officer had not known the location of the meeting unfortunately, so Toshiro left the Squad One barracks and continued his pursuit.

He stopped at the regular haunts of the SWA; Kuchiki manor, Squad Two barracks, Squad Six and even Squad Twelve. The ladies were nowhere to be found, and no one seemed to have an idea where the newest meeting room was. Captain Kuchiki had twitched his mouth in sly satisfaction, informing the young genius that he'd set up a brand new and very elaborate defence system around his home and now no one would be entering his property without his immediate knowledge. The stoic noble man went on to inform him that he had granted the ladies access to his squad barracks for meetings, so perhaps he should check there next. Toshiro did check there but not even Lieutenant Abarai knew where he could find the SWA that afternoon. In Squad Two, Captain Soi Fon had been missing from her office, and despite running the Stealth Force, none of her ninja's seemed to know where she was, or maybe they knew but wouldn't tell him. Toshiro barely made it out of the Twelfth with his life; Captain Kurotsuchi wanted to 'study' him.

Rangiku was often more trouble than she was worth.

Toshiro now had two places left to try; Squad Four and Squad Thirteen. He was reluctant to try Squad Four, given that it was a hospital, so he'd left it to last. The Kotetsu sisters ran the place now since Unohana's death, and they were both in the SWA but Toshiro hoped the women's group would have a little more tact than to hold meetings inside the Seireitei's most critical barracks. Luckily, Toshiro was right next to the Thirteenth and since Lieutenant Kuchiki was another member of the SWA, it was worth a shot.

"Ahhh Shiro-chan," Ukitake greeted him upon his arrival at the office, "What brings you here today?"

"I'm looking for Matsumoto," Toshiro answered promptly; he liked Ukitake, but he didn't want to get caught with him for too long, lest the sickly man decided to give him more candy, "Apparently she is at an SWA meeting, but I can't seem to find her."

He didn't like not being able to find Rangiku; she was a massive pain in his ass, but she was also – _rather regrettably, at times_ – his best friend and he cared deeply for her. He was always a little on edge when she disappeared and then reigned in her spiritual pressure; one of these days, she was going to get herself into some serious trouble and he would have to search the whole city before he found her.

"Young Rukia mentioned she was going to the meeting too," Ukitake nodded thoughtfully, before erupting in a small coughing fit.

Toshiro jumped to the older man's side, and helped him to sit down at his desk chair. He grimaced at the sight and sound of the kind captain struggling to regulate his breathing again; Ukitake had been sick the entire time Toshiro had known him, but these days, it seemed to be getting worse, and the prodigy hated seeing the man in such a state. Ukitake had always been kind to him, and had become a sort of mentor to him during his early days as a captain. Toshiro didn't really have a family, but Ukitake came close enough.

"I'm fine," the senior captain said unconvincingly as Toshiro handed him a glass of water, "Nothing new."

Toshiro frowned, but didn't say anything else as Ukitake lifted the glass shakily to his lips and took a small sip of water. _'Nothing new'_ but the man seemed to rarely get a break from his chronic symptoms anymore.

"Maybe you should take a break?" Toshiro suggested lightly.

"I will," Ukitake assured him, his voice hoarse, "I just want to ease some of the paperwork burden off Rukia – she's practically living in here now."

Toshiro glanced in the direction the older white haired man was pointing and noticed the bedding left behind as someone clearly spent nights here. He could only wish his own lieutenant was that dedicated.

"Sorry, Shiro-chan," Ukitake murmured, finally recovered from the short fit, "What were we talking about again?"

"The SWA," Toshiro sighed, stepping around the desk to face his colleague properly, "Do you know where I could find them?"

"I believe Byakuya lets them meet at his division now," Ukitake answered, "I think he does it for his sister. They've grown so close since the war."

"Which war?" Toshiro murmured bitterly, both the Winter War and the Quincy Blood War branded harshly in his memory.

Ukitake grimaced at the comment, and opened his mouth to speak again, but at that moment, Toshiro felt his lieutenant's spiritual pressure spike suddenly. Fortunately, Toshiro could tell she was excited and not in any harm. He could also pin point her location; Rangiku and the SWA were at the Fourth Division.

"Thank you, Ukitake!" Toshiro called over his shoulder but he was already out of the office and sliding down the hallways.

Rangiku had given away her hiding place, and Toshiro was going to catch up with her before she could escape his radar once more. It was time for her to do her damn job, and not slack off with her friends, especially not inside a bloody hospital.

Toshiro had time to plan his entrance as he made his way quickly as possible to the Squad Four medical barracks. He wanted Rangiku to know just how furious he was at her without him having to say anything, he wanted her to feel the coldness radiating out of his heart; in fact, he wanted all the SWA ladies to feel his wrath and then maybe they'd think twice about holding meeting during the work day.

The prodigy slipped in and out of the narrow Seireitei streets, gradually nearing Squad Four. Rangiku's spiritual pressure had receded again but he could still feel it thrumming softly; she was obviously still excited about something, and that was a major concern for the youngest captain who knew that it usually never meant anything good for him.

The Squad Four insignia came in to view and Toshiro burst through the double doors, ignoring the startled gasps of the healers, and set on down the hall way to the room he could sense Rangiku and her friends in. He let his spiritual pressure grow then, allowing the ice of his soul to spread out while freezing everything in his path. Finally he saw the door, and froze that with in an instant too. Rangiku would not get away from him this time. He hoped she was a little bit scared right now. He stepped forward and used a small burst of his power to shatter and crumble away the frozen wooden door in front of him.

Toshiro wasn't always a fan of the dramatic entrance but he wanted to deter his lieutenant from this behaviour; it had to stop, she was paid good money to do her job and Toshiro was not paid nearly enough to continually cover both her duties and his own.

Inside the well-lit room stood a small group of women, who were all staring at him with surprised and somewhat what terrified expressions.

He stepped under the door frame, allowing his icy power to linger menacingly. He hoped his big teal eyes were piercing Rangiku's very soul at that moment. He could see her cowering behind one of the other girls.

"Matsumoto," He called her; his voice was low but dangerous. Rangiku seemed to be more afraid of his quiet anger than when he yelled, which seemed to only make her laugh.

He felt something cool brush pass his arm, and out of the corner of his eye, the young Kuchiki girl was slipping out of the room, her strikingly similar cold spiritual pressure almost soothing as she ducked by. She was gone quickly, and Toshiro's full attention returned to his troublesome lieutenant who was now trying to unlock and open one of the windows but unfortunately for her, he'd frozen them shut.

"Lieutenant, now!" He snapped and Rangiku's body slumped in defeat against the window. He strode to her side, grabbed her forearm tightly in his grip and turned to the other petrified ladies in the room, before snapping again, "Don't you all have work to be doing?!"

They didn't answer, but to be honest, he didn't give them much time to do so. With his vice-like grip on his second seat, Toshiro flash stepped from the room, dragging the busty blonde with him effortlessly, like he'd done it a million times; He probably had done it a million times by now – It seemed Rangiku never learned her lesson.

…

Toshiro didn't let Rangiku's arm go until they were safely inside the office and he had secured the exits by once again freezing them shut. The woman hadn't tried to struggle during their journey, seemingly admitting defeat, and wisely knowing she could not fight him nor escape him. Safely locked inside his office with his devil woman of a lieutenant, Toshiro released her arm, and walked over his desk without saying a word.

He pulled the first sheet of paper off the stack and began to read through. It was an invitation from the Spiritual Arts Academy, asking him to come and perform a bankai demonstration for the students to show how – in some cases – a bankai can dramatically alter the wielder's appearance. It made sense that they'd want him since the news of his matured bankai had spread across the Seireitei, but only Captains Kuchiki and Zaraki had seen it. With a half-shrug he signed his agreement, and placed it in the completed pile for sorting, filing and sending off.

He took the next bit of paperwork off the pile and began reading through it, and by now Rangiku had worked out he wasn't going to speak first. She then immediately erupted in one of her melodramatic tirades.

"Captain!" She exclaimed, her wild hand gestures making it into his peripheral vision, "I was at a very important SWA meeting!"

"SWA meetings are rarely important," Toshiro said evenly, taking another report off the stack and skimming through it, "Your work here, however, is important."

"The SWA is important!" Rangiku burst loudly, and he glanced up to see her glaring at him, clearly outraged, "You wouldn't understand because you're a man. Captain, you're becoming very misogynistic!"

"Misogynistic?" Toshiro's voice developed a dangerous edge, "I take in the highest number of female soul reapers every year, I was the first male captain to introduce equal pay for my female workers and spent years defending your work ethic to Captain Yamamoto who wanted me to fire you. Please tell me how I am in any way prejudice against women?"

Rangiku opened her mouth to argue before promptly shutting it again, clearly lost for a good point to make. He smirked a little before taking another form from the stack and filling out the necessary blanks. It was all true; he'd done a lot for female soul reapers in his squad. Many of the male captains still allowed the inequalities between genders to survive in their divisions; namely Yamamoto before his death, Captain Kurotsuchi and Captain Zaraki. Head Captain Kyoraku had brought in equal pay just after Toshiro did, although his lieutenant had been campaigning for years prior to the event, and Captain Ukitake had followed immediately. Captain Kuchiki had taken much longer to bring around and it wasn't until after the Winter War and when his younger sister was promoted to lieutenant that he'd made the change; many suspected that it was the newly strengthened bond between him and Rukia that had forced the noble man to comply. The problem was that the Seireitei was ancient, especially in its values, and nobles in particular were sticklers for tradition, most believing a woman's place was still in the kitchen. Toshiro scowled at that; his female soldiers worked just as hard as their male counterparts, and if they'd be resigned to being mere housewives, so much potential would have been lost.

"You only gave us equal pay so I wouldn't keep spending your money," Rangiku pouted, eventually deciding on an argument, however untrue it was.

"It didn't work though, did it?" Toshiro clicked his tongue impatiently, before gesturing to the empty desk beside the window, "Now how about you do enough work to be worth what I pay you?"

Rangiku glared at him again and Toshiro clenched his jaw in response; always an argument to be had with her.

"I'm not working until you take back your comment about the SWA being unimportant," Rangiku crossed her arms over her chest, and tapped her foot against the wooden floorboards.

"I will when the SWA does something important for women or souls in general," Toshiro muttered, just loud enough for her to hear, but his eyes kept skimming over his paperwork, "All the SWA has ever done was raise money for Kusajishi's candy addiction and bought things for your own personal gain."

"Name one thing we bought for ourselves?" Rangiku demanded, offended by the truth.

"The swimming pool," Toshiro said instantly, reminded of the large pool they'd build at Kuchiki manor before Byakuya had obliterated it with his shikai, "Not to mention all that furniture for your various meeting rooms, all the snacks for each meeting and of course, the big shopping expeditions to the World of the Living. Oh, and that ridiculous beach trip."

Rangiku frowned, but to herself apparently, as no argument followed. Toshiro smirked once again; he was right, she was wrong, and finally she knew it.

"Now, do your damn work!" Toshiro snapped, pointing to her desk, "Or I'll ensure you never leave this office again."

The strawberry blonde menace yelped softly before immediately striding over to her desk and sitting down. Toshiro continued with his paperwork, watching her out of the corner of his eye as she picked her first document up and looked at it with severe distaste. Her disgusted expression turned to confusion and Toshiro sighed internally, knowing that she had no idea what half of these reports and forms were about, since she rarely ever did paperwork. Still, he let her sit in silent despair, concentrating on his own work load before he'd go help her with hers.

Toshiro managed to get on a real streak with his paperwork as the office had remained blissfully silent, the only sounds in the room were the subtle ticking of the wall clock, the shuffle of papers and the clinking of his ink brush against the ink pot; the sounds were both familiar and comforting to the prodigy, assuring him that work was finally getting done. Unfortunately, Rangiku had never been one for prolonged silence and it didn't take long for her to ruin the peacefully quiet atmosphere.

"Did you notice Rukia's hair, Captain?" Rangiku asked him excitedly, "She's growing it out again! You know, I was never a huge fan of her short hair."

"Now is not the time for gossip, Matsumoto," Toshiro felt his eyebrow twitch a little, "Do your work."

"I work better when I have something to talk about," She informed him with a mischievous grin, "But back to Rukia; I think the longer hair will make her look more mature, don't you think so, Captain?"

"I guess," Toshiro sighed and gave a half shrug, having learnt that sometimes it was better to just agree with the big breasted blonde.

"And sexier too, right Captain?"

"Sure," Toshiro mumbled back, only half listening, "Much sexi- Wait, _what?!"_

Rangiku was smirking at him as he replayed her words followed by his agreement in his head.

"I'm so glad you agree, Captain!" She clapped her hands together, her eyes lighting up.

"That's not- I wasn't actually listening to you!" Toshiro felt his face beginning to heat up; he'd spent decades working with the woman and yet she always managed to pull a blush out of him with little effort.

"Sure, sure," Rangiku smirked as if she knew something he didn't, "But in all seriousness, she does look sexier now, doesn't she?"

Toshiro wished he could say that he responded with a cool 'I didn't notice nor would I care if I did, a woman's sex appeal isn't defined by her hair or physical characteristics, Matsumoto, sexiness comes from the energy she exudes', but unfortunately, it was not the case. It wasn't even close to the case. In fact, he'd made a stammering, stuttering, tongue-tied mess of a reply, surprising himself as he actually thought back and considered the young Kuchiki girl's maturing appearance.

He'd barely seen Rukia as she slid by him during his rather dramatic entrance into the SWA meeting, but now as he recalled the event; he noticed that Rangiku was right about the Squad Thirteen lieutenant growing her hair out again. It was now similar length to when she'd accompanied them to the World of the Living to fight the first of Aizen's arrancars, sitting neatly at her shoulders. He could see it clearly in his mind now, the image of the younger Kuchiki slipping passed him and back down the hallway, her hair swishing gently behind her in the breeze and leaving behind a vague aroma of snowdrop flowers, like that of her own division symbol. Was 'sexy' the right term though? Toshiro wasn't sure; he didn't often consider a girl's hair – in particular, the length – being of importance to her sex appeal, but he supposed that if he thought about it, he probably would prefer longer hair on a woman, if only for him to brush out of her face and play with idly while lying side by side.

"Aww, Sir!" Rangiku swooned happily, "You're really thinking about it!"

Toshiro blushed a little harder, scowling at his lieutenant; the woman seemed to read his mind effortlessly when he was thinking of something embarrassing and then appeared to be completely oblivious when he was thinking of the countless ways he could kill her in her sleep.

"Do you prefer the long haired girls in your magazine, Captain?" Rangiku whispered across the room teasingly, running a hand through her long strawberry locks suggestively.

Toshiro gritted his teeth; _the damn magazine_. He was never going to live that down, Rangiku made it her life mission to bring it up at least once a week, despite all the threats he'd made about suspending her lunch hours and putting her on the weekend shift. It really wasn't as big a deal as she made it out to be; in short, Rangiku had been wrongfully snooping through his private quarters when she happened to find a _discarded_ magazine – a magazine made for _straight, adult men_ – that had been a very _unwelcomed birthday gift_ from a certain flirty captain in a large straw hat and pink kimono.

The lieutenant had come flouncing into the office waving it around the place, singing "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"

She slammed it down in front of him and the prodigy had very quickly paled, recognising the magazine by its cover instantly.

"I found this in your bedroom, Sir," She giggled, "I didn't think you were old enough for this sort of thing yet, but I guess you really have grown into a man now."

Toshiro choked on air, "Th-this isn't m-mine!"

"It was in your bedroom, though?"

"Well, y-yes," Toshiro flushed, shaking his head in denial, "Kyoraku gave it to me! I didn't want it so I threw it out, and what were you doing in my bedroom in the first place, Matsumoto?!"

"Oh, don't you turn this on me, Captain," Rangiku sat on the corner of his desk, picking the magazine up again and flicking through the pictures, "And it wasn't thrown out… unless, of course, you put all your rubbish under your mattress?"

The devil woman blinked at him, her eyes filling with false innocence and her mouth twisting into a sly and knowing grin.

Toshiro blushed harder – if that was at all possible – and found that no answer could come from his mouth. Hell, no answer had even formed in his brain yet. His mind was literally blank, the shock and embarrassment killing his mental hard drive and he watched dumbly as Rangiku returned to flicking through the magazine. Her grin only grew bigger in the absence of his response, and at one point, a woman's picture in the magazine caused her to release a low and impressed whistle.

"I wish I was that flexible," She muttered under her breath, tilting her head as if it would give her a better view.

"Put it away, Lieutenant!" Toshiro managed to hiss eventually, ripping the magazine from her grip and thrusting it harshly into the paper bin beside his desk.

"They tried to tell me you were gay, Captain!" Rangiku had cheered at an uncomfortably loud volume, "But I told them they were wrong! I said 'a man can't have me as a lieutenant and be gay'."

"You actually almost turned me gay," Toshiro muttered under his breath, but Rangiku had been so caught up in her own tirade that she hadn't heard his comment.

The memory was still so fresh to him; embarrassment seemed to stick in his mind like glue, always able to recall moments of his greatest mortification at the drop of a hat. A special talent of sorts, not that it did his esteem any good. Rangiku was grinning at him from her desk, obviously recalling the memory as well.

"I noticed that the magazine wasn't in the bin at the end of the day," She drawled, leaning further over her desk and obliviously knocking over her ink pot with her boobs.

"Enough, Matsumoto!" He snapped, irritated by her spot on observation, "Get back to work, and do not speak again unless you have a serious work-related question."

"But, Sir-"

"I will deduct a day's pay for every word you say that isn't about the running of this division," Toshiro threatened, eyeing her seriously, "Now. Back. To. Work."

Rangiku swallowed, but didn't say anything as she looked back down at her paperwork. Toshiro caught a quick glimpse of a smile on her face before he sighed in frustration, turning back to his stacks of paperwork which appeared to have somehow grown since the last time he looked.

The next time he glanced up, he noticed that she'd actually completed a rather large chunk of the work, and was pleasantly surprised for a whole three seconds before he realised that she was just picking up the papers, looking for the line that said 'lieutenant signature' and signing it without even bothering to find out what the document was actually about. He groaned softly and resisted the urge to hit his head against the desk; now he was going to have to read over her work to ensure she had not signed off on something crazy, given that there were a lot of request forms in that pile; holiday leave, pay rises, promotions, division barracks renovations, division transfers, and she was just signing them off willy nilly.

Maybe Yamamoto was right about her.

No, Toshiro would always stand up for his lieutenant's contribution to the Soul Society. She might be a terrible administration worker, and the most infuriating partner, but her battlefield abilities were top notch, and her trust had been well earnt over the years. He just needed to start limiting her to practical work only.

With that thought in mind, Toshiro flipped through some of his completed paperwork, looking for a certain report he'd already signed off. Finding it, he pulled the document from the stack and skimmed through it to make sure it was the right one. It was a report regarding a joint investigation the Squad Ten had completed with Squad Two in the World of the Living several weeks ago, and the reports had finally been processed on his end, which meant that once he'd sighed them, Soi Fon had to read and sign them too, and luckily he knew just the soul reaper to send on a walk to the Second.

"Matsumoto, get up," Toshiro called her, causing her to look over in mild surprise, "You're going for a walk."

"Outside of the office?" Rangiku asked, her face brightening in delight, clearly anticipating her freedom.

"I need Captain Soi Fon's signature on these," Toshiro let his voice drone emotionlessly as he waved the papers about slightly and Rangiku was instantly snatching them out of his hand and skidding over to the door, which still happened to be frozen.

"Sir, you need to unfreeze door if you want me to get my job done," Rangiku told him, her voice higher in pitch as her excitement grew.

"Just one last thing," Toshiro fixed her with a pointed stare, "It's an hour's journey there and back. You will be back in this office in exactly sixty minutes, or I will deduct one day of paid leave from your contract for every minute you are late. Is that clear?"

"You're just full of threats today, aren't you?" Rangiku grumbled softly, an unimpressed frown forming on her face.

"Care to repeat that, Lieutenant?" Toshiro dared, raising a challenging eyebrow; he didn't take sass from any of his subordinates, not even his 'supposed' best friend.

"No, Sir!" Rangiku chirped, her face suddenly bright and happy again, "One hour; I'll be back on time, I promise!"

 _Yeah, right_ , Toshiro scoffed internally, allowing his doubt to show on his face. Rangiku seemed oblivious as she turned back to the door and practically bounced on the balls of her feet in eagerness to get out. The prodigy sighed mentally, and used his power to shatter the ice – only the ice this time, he actually wanted to keep his door – effectively unlocking it and his troublesome lieutenant immediately flew from the room.

Fifty minutes flew by as Toshiro used the peace and quiet to power through his paperwork, and then fifty-five minutes had gone by, and fifty-nine minutes soon after. Toshiro had almost completed his stack when the clock ticked over sixty minutes since Rangiku had departed the office. The prodigy heard a noise in the hall way outside the office, but the footsteps continued passed the door, probably one of his one of his squad members walking by on their way to their next duty. Sixty-one minutes passed and Toshiro sighed in resigned frustration; he'd had no hope that she'd be back on time anyway, but it still infuriated him that she'd disobey him especially given the threat on the line; Rangiku lived for paid leave days.

He was up to five days' worth of deducted leave when Rangiku finally burst through the door, her hair a wild mess and panic stricken across her face.

"You're late," Toshiro muttered.

"Ichigo's been arrested, Captain!" Rangiku exclaimed, throwing herself dramatically onto her knees in front of him, "They've got him locked up in the Twelfth!"

"Kurosaki arrested?" Toshiro questioned, shocking overcoming him, "For what?"

"Suspected mass murder," another voice answered him, and Toshiro glanced up to see Soi Fon standing in his door.

"Mass murder?" Toshiro repeated loudly, outrage pumping through him, "Ichigo Kurosaki?"

Ichigo was the furthest thing from a murderer of any description; Toshiro had fought alongside the young human boy enough times to know that. The substitute soul reaper fought only to protect his friends and family; he never went looking for a fight and certainly would never commit murder. The idea was completely ludicrous.

"We suspect his hollow got control of him," Soi Fon answered simply, her voice its usual no-nonsense tone, "I will explain on the way."

"On the way where?" Toshiro asked standing up and placing a comforting hand on Rangiku's head as she continually muttered 'it's not true, Ichigo wouldn't let that happen' while shaking her head.

"To the Twelfth," Soi Fon answered, ignoring the lieutenant's stricken behaviour, "The Kurosaki boy is being exceptionally difficult, and unless he wants to face execution, he better start talking, and that's where you come in."

"What does that have to do with me?" Toshiro frowned, "Surely Lieutenant Kuchiki or Lieutenant Abarai would be more helpful in extracting information from him?"

"One of them will be joining you," Soi Fon informed him, "But the Head Captain wants one of the captains to oversee the interrogation and Kurosaki seems to have the closest connection with you."

Toshiro sighed; after all that time he spent in the human world following Aizen's betrayal, he definitely knew the strawberry blond male better than any other captain. He grumbled his agreement, and followed Soi Fon out of the office, calling Rangiku to follow him, which she did instantly. As they neared the Twelfth Division, Toshiro prayed silently that Ichigo hadn't let his hollow consume him, because if he couldn't keep in under control the Head Captain would have no choice but to either execute him, or allow Kurotsuchi to forcefully separate them which was almost certainly worse, if you knew what the process involved and the consequences of such an action were.

They entered a building, and Toshiro was too caught up in his thoughts to realise where they were until he heard Soi Fon calling out to someone. He glanced up and saw two lieutenants walking towards them; Rukia Kuchiki of Squad Thirteen and Kiyone Kotetsu of Squad Four. Rukia looked particularly upset, although it was clear that she was trying to keep her emotions in check. Toshiro felt for her; Ichigo was one of her best friends, and now he was in a very serious and almost life threatening situation.

"Are you going to make him cooperate?" Soi Fon's harsh voice sounded in front of him as she spoke to the young Kuchiki girl.

"I'll do my best," Rukia replied, straightening her posture and narrowing her eyes suspiciously, "Just what exactly did he do?"

Toshiro glanced sideways to Soi Fon, eagerly awaiting her answer; she'd said she would explain on the way over but then she'd decided to wait until they caught up with either Kuchiki or Abarai so that she wouldn't have to explain herself more than once. It was one of the things he disliked about Soi Fon; she often thought her time was better spent somewhere else and that she was one of the more important captains.

"We found him in a right mess, in the middle of dead bodies and he won't tell us what happened," Soi Fon informed them, the hint of a smile forming on her face, "Captain Kurotsuchi has offered to… _extract_ the information himself should you fail."

"We won't!"  
"We won't."

Toshiro tilted his head slightly as both he and Rukia answered the exact same thing at the same time. She blinked at him in surprise but he kept his frown in place, pretending not to be somewhat satisfied by the passion she exuded when it came to protecting her friends. It was a trait the young Kuchiki shared with her currently imprisoned friend. He was glad it was her and not Renji they were sending in with him; he remembered seeing Rukia _literally_ knocking Ichigo out of his guilt-induced slumps following the first Espada attack in Karakura Town in which he and his human friends had been hurt badly.

As for the prodigy himself, Soi Fon's comment had stirred a few emotional reactions out of him, causing him to spit the same line as Rukia. Firstly, although he rarely expressed it, he did care for Ichigo, and after the whole Kusaka incident, Ichigo had become his _sort-of_ friend. The boy caused a lot of problems for the Soul Society but he'd also saved them numerous times, and Toshiro personally. The prodigy silently vowed to protect him to the best of his ability. Toshiro had also made the remark because he didn't like it when other captains questioned his ability to do his job, and Soi Fon's tone had done just that.

The Squad Two Captain stepped forward and opened the door to Ichigo's holding cell, and Rukia ducked in first with him following right behind her.

The chamber was empty and Toshiro frowned in confusion; _where was Ichigo?_

Suddenly Rukia gasped and the sound of the door locking firmly shut behind them echoed around the room. Toshiro turned to see Rukia bashing her fist against the door, her posture rigid with panic, and the soft hiss of a swear word escaping her lips before she halted her actions immediately and straightened up, as if she only just remembered he was behind her.

He kept his expression neutral as she slowly turned back to face him, but inside he was highly amused to hear a young noble woman and high ranked soul reaper saying _'fuck'_.

Toshiro crossed his arms over his chest and eyed her up and down. He noticed her biting the inside of his lip, her eyes flickering with guilt briefly. He wanted to roll his eyes; she obviously knew why they were here but apparently didn't want to be locked in the room alone with him.

"Clearly you know something that I don't," he drawled, allowing his eyes to noticeably flicker to the door and back to her, silently asking for an explanation.

Rukia's cheeks were suddenly dusted with a light pink blush before she promptly looked away from him. Toshiro resisted the urge to smirk; so this is what it looked like to see someone blushing? Well, he could see why Rangiku found it so much fun; it was oddly endearing.

"I was so stupid," Rukia muttered, and Toshiro strained his ears to hear her soft voice, "I should have realised this was a trap."

Toshiro frowned, still not understanding, but then he heard the intercom crackle to life and the forever traumatising voice of his lieutenant sounded inside the room.

"Welcome to the looove shack!" Rangiku sung, causing Toshiro's eye to twitch; of course she was behind this, "You two aren't getting out until we see a kiss."

He heard Rukia's soft groan sound behind him but Toshiro was busy replaying his lieutenant's words back in his mind.

"See… a… what?" Toshiro repeated, completely dumbstruck by the situation; did they just say 'kiss'? Like him kiss Rukia? Surely not? He turned on the young Kuchiki promptly, "Care to explain, Lieutenant?"

Toshiro hates games, and he played more than enough with Rangiku as it was. What he wanted was an honest explanation.

The black haired lieutenant sighed, gazing around the room briefly, "Okay, I promise I will but first, can we just break out of here?"

She walked over to the door and studied it, as if looking for a weak point or some sort way to magically bring it down with her zanpakuto or kido.

"Don't waste your energy," the prodigy informed her as she turned back to him once more, "This chamber is made of pure sekkiseki rock, it repels spiritual pressure, hence why they'd have stored Kurosaki here if he had done something wrong."

Only the person in the control room behind the camera and intercom would be able to release them from this room, but being as that person was Rangiku Matsumoto, it wasn't going to be very soon. He glanced up at the camera in distaste; it sat innocently in the corner opposite the intercom and no doubt, Rangiku, Soi Fon, Lieutenant Kotetsu and whoever else were watching their every move. Clearly this was the work of the SWA.

The intercom crackled again and Rangiku's voice came back over the speaker, "If you freeze the camera, Rukia, I'll keep you in all night and day."

Freezing the camera was a good idea, but not when Rangiku was on the other side. Toshiro mentally commended Rukia on her idea though; it was very intelligent.

"Matsumoto," He warned, allowing his cold voice to penetrate the room; it was time for another threat, "If you do not release us this instant, I will chain you to your desk for the next two weeks without a single break, do I make myself clear?"

"Sorry, Captain!" She sung again over the speaker, "This is a one way intercom, can't hear what you're saying…"

"That woman," Toshiro muttered, his jaw clenching hard in frustration before he turned to face his fellow victim who seemed to stand a little straighter as his eyes skimmed over her, "So what is going on?"

Rukia went on to explain to him about the SWA meeting that he had interrupted that morning and about how, until his sudden arrival, Rangiku had decided to make him the next unfortunate soul to be the centre of her newest match-making scheme. According to Rukia, Rangiku had 'assured' them that he was straight and went on to explain all the reasons why the SWA had chosen Rukia herself to for his potential match, listing her height and similar zanpakuto abilities as key points. He'd only been half listening to the last part however, still firmly stuck on this 'assurance' Rangiku gave them, promptly reminding him of the damn magazine once again.

He must have muttered something about it under his breath as his fury grew, because Rukia was suddenly speaking up again.

"She didn't give us any details of how she knew, just that she did."

Toshiro glanced up and saw her shrugging her half-heartedly. The heat in his cheeks only grew hotter as she stared at him curiously, probably imagining just what Rangiku knew that assured her of his sexuality. He really should have bought a gay man's magazine too, just to throw her off, but then she'd probably be locking him in a room with a boy right now and demanding they kiss.

The prodigy sighed when Rukia suddenly looked away from him, and moved to the nearest wall to lean against it and get comfortable.

"Okay so we wait it out," Toshiro murmured softly, considering all their options, "They cannot keep us in here forever and eventually the other captains will come looking for us. It's not ideal given the paperwork and running of the divisions but hopefully it won't last long."

He was scowling and he knew it, but it was true that it was the best option for them. Instead of doing paperwork for the rest of the evening, Toshiro was going to stand here for as long as it took while mentally listing all the ways he could punish Rangiku when he got a hold of her next.

"I can't wait!" Rukia exclaimed, turning to him, her eyes wide and pleading, "I am meant to be having dinner with Nii-Sama tonight. I can't let him down."

Desperation flickered briefly in her eyes, which he noticed for the first time where an incredibly powerful shade of violet. They were as unique and intense in colour as his own teal irises, but he liked them more than he liked his own. Rukia's purple was softer than the harsh iciness of teal, and were actually rather pretty, now that he was thinking about it.

He felt compassion swelling in his heart as the worry in her beautiful eyes grew stronger by the second. He knew her brother well enough by now to know that he certainly did not like to be kept waiting; he was a captain and a noble, he did not _wait_. Toshiro also knew of Rukia's desperate need to make Byakuya proud, having lived in his shadow for years and never being able to please him until he finally showed his love for her to save her from Ichimaru's shikai, just minutes before the three traitor captains fled the Soul Society.

"I am sorry, Lieutenant," Toshiro murmured, sincerely meaning his words, "I don't have any other ideas."

He looked down and closed his eyes, feeling a little ashamed that he – _a captain_ – couldn't get them out of this silly situation. Perhaps he could visit her brother once they eventually got let out, and explain the situation to him and how it was not Rukia's fault. Perhaps even, he could send Rangiku to work for him for a week, and then maybe she'd begin to appreciate just how lenient he was with her. He mentally added the new punishment idea to his list.

"I am sorry too, Captain," Rukia announced suddenly, and when he looked up she was just inches away from him and drawing closer.

He didn't have time to process what was happening, but was just about to ask as he suddenly felt her boldly grab him by his haori and pull his face to meet hers, her cold lips pressing firmly against his.

To say he was shocked was an understatement, especially when he felt her body press against his. He felt her spiritual pressure burst despite the room they were in, and he felt his own respond instantly without his approval. Ice mingled with ice, the temperature around them dropping quickly, but to them it felt good. Her lips continued to move against his gently, coaxing his mouth open and he let her. To be honest, it felt good. _Really good, in fact._ It was addicting, and he forgot where he was and who was watching as they practically become one person, their power and bodies seeming to fuse together. He'd heard about this happening sometimes between soul reapers with zanpakutos of a similar power, and sharing an element as harsh as ice and snow was one hell of a connection.

Her taste was sweet and almost wintery, like if snow really tasted as good as it looked. He wasn't sure what his hands were doing or where they were but he could feel a fabric beneath them that wasn't his own uniform. Most of his attention was on the lieutenant's lips though, which were soft and as cool as his own. They were both cold, but the connection almost made them warm – although a nice, comforting warm, not the uncomfortable warm of a summer's day.

The shock finally wore off, and Toshiro was beginning to enjoy the kiss properly. In fact, he was considering slipping in his tongue before Rukia quickly pulled back and detached herself from him immediately. Toshiro felt the connection of their spiritual pressures break instantly, and a weight settled in his heart as she refused to look at him.

"You're both free to leave," Yoruichi Shihoin's voice came over the speaker this time.

Toshiro heard the sounds of the other SWA ladies cheering and clapping in the background, Rangiku's voice sticking out to him almost as much as her breasts usually sat out of her shirt. The door buzzed open and Rukia fled form the room instantly without a glance his way. He felt a slight pang of hurt hit his heart, but managed to turn his pain into crazy anger, storming out of the room and towards the neighbouring control room in which he could still hear the SWA celebrating.

He ripped open the door, almost pulling it off its hinges in his rage and several sets of eyes blinked at him.

"I did not think this through," Rangiku murmured timidly, slinking behind a smug looking Yoruichi.

"MATSUMOTOOOOO!"

…

Toshiro reached a tiny bit more forward and cried out in victory when he caught his lieutenant's sleeve, rapidly pulling her back to him and into a more secure hold. He'd given her a whole five second head start back at the Twelfth, just so maybe she'd get hopeful that she could escape his wrath just to have it shattered minutes later when he caught up with her.

For the second time that day, Toshiro forcibly flash stepped Rangiku into their shared office. He didn't bother locking the door this time, because part of him wanted her to run away again after he'd yelled at her.

He was embarrassed; he could only imagine what those SWA ladies would have seen through the camera. The kiss hadn't exactly been a small peck, and he'd even been bold enough to put his hands on Rukia's lithe body, only for her to jump away from him only seconds later.

"What the fuck were you thinking?!" He screamed, although Rangiku still looked pretty pleased with herself, "How dare you?! I am a captain!"

"I was just trying to help you out, Captain," Rangiku had the nerve to giggle a little, causing his temper to rise even higher, "You're so busy all the time, I thought I'd set you up with someone to relax you a little bit…"

"Relax?!" Toshiro spat, "How can I relax when I have a lieutenant as troublesome and disrespectful as you, Matsumoto?"

"Aw come on, Captain," She stepped forward to hug him, but he shook her away and stepped around his desk to put some distance between them.

"Are you really mad at me, Sir?" Rangiku began to tease him, "Or are you just upset that Rukia ran away so quickly afterwards?"

Fury, hurt and embarrassment pulsed through his body, causing his power to surge for an instant, and the light above their heads shattered loudly, causing Rangiku to yelp and jump away from the flying debris of frozen glass. She looked at him with a horrified expression and Toshiro clenched his jaw; he hadn't let rage take over his powers like that since he'd found Momo unconscious at Aizen's feet in the Central Forty-Six chambers.

"You can't force people into kissing," Toshiro continued evenly, ignoring the small explosion and placing his hands on the desk as he leant over it tiredly, "I can't let this go unpunished."

The young genius saw the blonde woman's shock as she no doubt started to wonder if perhaps she'd stepped over the line a little. She stepped over the line at least once a month, as far as he was concerned, but this time she'd gone too far. He was even considering giving her an official disciplinary warning, which would be the second in her career – Captain Shiba had given her one a long time ago – and leave her only one mistake away from losing her job. He could never do it to her in reality, but this was certainly the closest he'd ever felt to doing it.

"I didn't mean to make you mad," Rangiku said, her voice much softer this time, "I just thought you and Rukia-"

"You will write a formal letter of apology to Lieutenant Kuchiki and deliver it first thing in the morning," Toshiro cut over her, "Other than that one trip, you will be grounded to the division barracks indefinitely."

"Indefinitely?" Rangiku repeated.

"Until I say otherwise," Toshiro confirmed with a sharp nod, "Now leave."

"Captain, I'm really sorry-"

"I said 'leave'!" the prodigy snapped harshly, making eye contact again and glaring at his now very concerned looking second seat, "Don't make me ask you again, Lieutenant."

Rangiku took a timid step back and then another before she seemed to pause, tilting her head slightly as she considered something, her lips forming a slight 'o' shape as she drew some sort of conclusion in her mind. She opened her mouth again before promptly shutting it as Toshiro clenched his jaw, just daring her to say something. The blonde woman looked at him sadly as pity flashed in her eyes. He was mere seconds away from pulling out the disciplinary warning form when she finally slipped out the door, the sounds of her dragged footsteps growing softer as she moved down the hall way.

Toshiro practically flopped back into his desk chair, closing his eyes and forcing himself to take deep, even breaths. He could still feel a slight tingling sensation over his lips from the kiss with Rukia. It had been his first kiss ever, and it had been orchestrated by the SWA for their own enjoyment. Not to mention, Rukia Kuchiki was a girl far beyond his league, and she clearly had no interest in him. Luckily, he could just spend the next few months avoiding her until everyone forgot about the kiss; it would be easy enough – they were in different squads and they were both too busy to run into each other somewhere.

When he opened his eyes, he noticed a scroll sitting in front of him, waiting patiently to be read. Toshiro recognised the seal instantly; it was the emblem for Squad One. Opening it up, Toshiro identified the perfect print that could only belong to Kyoraku's lieutenant. It was an 'invitation' to attend a combined captains and lieutenants meeting this coming Monday; the term 'invitation' was used loosely since Toshiro knew those meetings were compulsory to attend. A second pang of hurt cut through his chest as he read further down the letter to discover Ukitake would be retiring at the end of next week. He was one of the few captains Toshiro liked, and the one he trusted the most.

Toshiro sighed; he couldn't exactly avoid a lieutenant at a compulsory meeting, or at the celebratory feast that would surely follow by the end of the week.

…

 **What do you guys think so far? Please review xoxo**

 **Also if you haven't done it yet, go read Rukia's perspective for this story at LethanWolf's 'Mind of an Ice Princess'.**


	2. Are all girls this crazy?

**Thank you to the lovely people who reviewed :D You guys are the best! I hope you enjoy part two xD**

…

Chapter Two: Are all girls this crazy?

The youngest captain in the history of the Soul Society stood diligently in his assigned place in the meeting hall, while most of the other captains and lieutenants mingled before the meeting started. In the days of Yamamoto, captains – and lieutenants if they were invited – would arrive at the meeting hall and move straight to their allocated spots, any talking was kept to a whisper until the Head Captain finally made his appearance. With Kyoraku in charge, however, the meetings were much more upbeat and there was often a great deal of socialising before the meeting would be called to order, and even during the meeting Kyoraku ran a relaxed agenda unless something serious had happened.

Beside him stood Rangiku, who had been on her best behaviour over the last few days. He'd never known her to be such a good lieutenant. Rangiku had been a serious suck up over the last few days. He didn't know it was actually possible for her to be on time, but there she was every morning at nine, sitting at her desk and diligently doing her paperwork; properly this time, not just signing forms at random. She had been staying in that office until closing every evening and returned to her quarters straight after dinner. To be honest, as much as he had prayed for her to pull herself into a decent worker one day, he was beginning to miss his troublesome second in command. He thought about dropping her punishment so that she was no longer grounded to the division barracks, but he held strong; she had embarrassed him in front of two captains, a former captain and several lieutenants, and – although no one had said it out loud yet – she had also hurt his feelings in doing so, because she had forced a girl to kiss him who really didn't want to be there.

It was his fault really; he'd had one kiss and developed feelings instantly, but how could he not? Rukia Kuchiki was beautiful, passionate, strong, hard-working… And of course, the spiritual pressure thing, nobody could ignore that. The fact that the SWA ladies in the control room would not have been able to feel their powers mingling was the one redeeming thing about being locked inside that chamber. Not even Rangiku knew what had really happened during that kiss.

Out of the corner of his eye, Toshiro could see the SWA standing in a tight group down the front of the hall in between where Soi Fon and Isane Kotetsu would stand with their respective lieutenants at the commencement of the meeting. Occasionally they'd glance over before turning back and whispering quietly amongst themselves. The prodigy could practically feel Rangiku leaning towards them but he knew she wouldn't have the balls to leave his side right now, especially not to join that particular group of soul reapers.

Toshiro continued to skim over the room; he watched Ukitake and Kyoraku chatting merrily to each other and almost smiled a little. He was still so incredibly sad to be losing Ukitake to retirement, but he could never blame the poor man, his life-long disease had become so debilitating since the last war. At least the older white haired man could retire peacefully while knowing his division was in good hands with Ru- _stop it,_ Toshiro told himself, _why did everything turn back to her?_

Literally every time he looked around the room, he was reminded of her, and she wasn't even present yet! Toshiro looked to the left and saw the SWA gossiping, about the kiss probably, he then looked to the front and saw Rukia's captain, and at one point, Toshiro was sure he saw Byakuya Kuchiki eyeing him suspiciously. _Oh gods_ , Toshiro blanched, had Rukia told her brother? _No, surely not,_ Toshiro tried to calm himself, pointing out that he would certainly have been cut up by Captain Kuchiki's Senbonzakura by now as well as Rangiku and the SWA if that were the case. Still he glanced over the stoic Squad Six captain and saw that Byakuya was indeed staring at him. Toshiro looked away quickly but he pictured the man's expression in his mind to analyse it. The noble didn't look angry at least; he was mostly impassive as always but Toshiro thought he caught a glimpse of curiosity in those dark eyes. He didn't have time to dwell on it however, because a familiar spiritual pressure entered the hall and caught his attention instantly.

Rukia seemed to make an effort not to look at him as he turned to face her, and Toshiro kept the little pang of hurt off his face as he watched her glide to her brother's side and get pulled into Renji's massive arms. The prodigy understood if Rukia had only kissed him to get out of the room, and he understood if she didn't like it or want to do it again, but Toshiro didn't get why she was avoiding even looking at him. Was she that embarrassed about it? Was he a bad kisser perhaps? Or was she just ashamed she kissed a non-noble?

He scowled and crossed his arms over his chest, looking away from the young lieutenant. Rangiku shuffled uncomfortably beside him.

Eventually the last soul reapers arrive – Squad Eleven; _surprise, surprise_ – and the Head Captain called the commencement of the meeting.

"The meeting will begin momentarily," Kyoraku announced, grinning a little.

Neither Toshiro nor Rangiku needed to move as they were already standing in their assigned spots, but many of the other soul reapers flittered across the room to find their place. Given the layout, with odds on one side and evens on the other, while standing in division number order from the front of the room to the back, Toshiro found himself standing almost directly opposite Squad Thirteen, mere meters from the raven haired lieutenant. Luckily he could face Kyoraku at the front for the most of the meeting, however once Ukitake gave his address, he'd have to look her way again.

"This meeting is in session," Kyoraku clapped when everyone had found their spots, "We are here to announce the official retirement of Captain Jushiro Ukitake of Squad Thirteen, who will join me in drinking his way into an early grave."

Rangiku covered up a chuckle with a cough at the comment while Toshiro just pursed his lips together; he didn't think it was necessary to joke about Ukitake dying any earlier than he had to, especially given his illness, but as he looked over at the retiring man, there was a big smile on his face, and Toshiro figured it was probably best for Ukitake to do whatever brought him joy.

"In charge of the division will be Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki, who has decided to keep her position as a lieutenant rather than stepping into the role of captain," Kyoraku announced,piquing Toshiro's interest immediately.

The prodigy frowned; why wouldn't Rukia go for captaincy? He'd heard that she'd reached bankai – and as a fellow ice wielder, he was immensely curious to see what she could do with it – and according to her captain, she had been pretty much running the Squad lately. She was more than capable of becoming a captain; she had the squad's respect, she had intelligence and she had courage _. What was stopping her?_

"Thus, she will run the division as a lieutenant until another captain is ready to take over," Kyoraku continued, "Any paperwork requiring signatures from the Captain of Squad Thirteen will be signed by Rukia until further notice."

The Head Captain nodded to Ukitake and asked if he would like to say a few words. Ukitake stepped forward, a light smile grazing his pale lips.

Toshiro kept his eyes on Rukia though, still trying to figure out why she didn't want to take up a captain's role. The prodigy remembered when Captain Shiba had vanished, and he had been called on to take over the role. He hadn't wanted to, he hadn't thought he was ready or even worthy, but he had done it anyway. Toshiro had done it for his former captain, who had put so much effort into training him and had almost become a sort of father figure, and for Rangiku, who was even less ready to be burdened by the weight of responsibility over an entire division. Perhaps Rukia had the same fears he had when he was in her position? Perhaps she didn't consider herself capable as well? He looked at the girl opposite him as she made eye contact for half a second before turning away again, biting her lip; he would have thought she would have jumped at the chance to be captain. It would make both Ukitake and her brother extremely proud, which Toshiro knew was important to her. _Hell,_ she'd kissed him just to avoid being late in fear that she might disappoint Byakuya.

"Yes, thank you, Head Captain," Ukitake started, clearing his phlegmy throat quickly, "I have served with many of you for more years than I could possibly count. I have seen some come…"

The white haired man glanced at Toshiro and the prodigy felt himself swelling a little. Ukitake had been an incredible mentor to him, and even a good friend during the rougher times of Toshiro's leadership. He recalled the first time he lost one of his soldiers in battle, and Ukitake had come over with a bag full of candy, coaching him through dealing with his first loss. They'd filled out the necessary paperwork together and arranged a traditional squad funeral; Ukitake had even handed him tissues when the pain had become a little too much.

Ukitake then glanced down the captain's line to the empty positions.

"…and I have seen some go," the sickly man continued, looking a little sad before perking up again with a new thought, "While I am upset to retire from my division, I know it will be in good hands."

The retiree turned his head to glance back at his lieutenant and Toshiro followed the man's line of vision. Rukia stood a little straighter as her captain smiled encouragingly at her. Ukitake turned back to the front and finished off his speech with one final promise of his undying dedication the Gotei Thirteen.

"I wish for you all to know that should you ever need me, I will be here ready to serve until my last breath. That's all."

Noise broke out in the hall once again as everyone murmured their thank you's to the sick captain, and Toshiro had to clench his fists a little to stop his emotion pouring onto his face. It was a very overwhelming experience, more so than he had expected.

"Then that leaves only one other piece of official business," the Head Captain announced, grinning stupidly at Ukitake and tilting his head slightly, "The feast."

Kyoraku went on to explain that the traditional feast to celebrate Captain Ukitake's years of service and send him off to a peaceful retirement would be held that coming Friday in the Oiwai Hall at the First Division. It would be strictly captains and lieutenants only, and Toshiro gritted his teeth a little; _great_ , another event where he could spend the entire time watching Rukia avoid him like he was some sort of terrible disease.

"The meeting is concluded," Kyoraku stood from his chair at the front of the hall, "Your time is your own."

Some soul reapers moved towards Ukitake, presumably to say their thank you's and send him well wishes for the future, but Toshiro turned towards to door and strode out of the meeting hall, Rangiku trailing obediently. He'd talk to Ukitake later, but when they could have a slightly more private moment together; Toshiro wanted to give a sincere thank you, but he didn't feel comfortable showing emotions like that with the other captains – and especially Rukia – surrounding them.

…

"Are you kidding me?" Toshiro clenched his jaw as he stood in the door way of Rangiku's private quarters.

The lieutenant was flying around the incredibly messy room, completely flustered and unorganised. Her hair was done, but only half of her make-up and she wasn't even attempting to put on her complicated kimono yet, fluttering back and forth in nothing but her bra and underwear. It was something he'd seen her do too many times, and something he was certain wasn't appropriate for a lieutenant to do in front of her captain. Each time he would express this, she would giggle and tell him 'it's okay, because we're best friends'. It was certainly not okay; it might have once been _semi-okay_ when he was a kid because she'd been like an older sister to him in the old days, but now that he was an adult himself – and a straight one, as she well knew – it was becoming less and less appropriate.

He never looked at her in that way, of course. She was still like a sister to him and also one of his officers whom he'd never blur that line with. Also _, he hated boobs_. Correction: he hated Rangiku's boobs; they were weapons and a danger to his breathing and overall health as well as being the common denominator of most of his embarrassing moments. Over the years, the multiple experiences of having his head crushed between them had left life-long trauma, and now the sight of boobs above a C cup always put him on edge. So, to amend his earlier statement, he didn't hate boobs, he was just afraid of the really big ones. They were okay, he supposed, on a smaller girl, but his eyes weren't usually drawn to a girl's chest like other men; he preferred a girl's ass over her breasts any day.

A nice tight butt on a woman was about the sexiest thing he could imagine. In his favourite magazine, there were many pictures of naked girls, but he tended to spend the most time staring at the ones that had their backs to the camera, leaning over one thing or another, and glancing back over their shoulders with a lust-filled expression. Ideally, if he ever got the chance to have a proper make out session with a girl, he figured he'd want something to grab and hold onto when he kissed her. His hands had almost had that idea with Rukia, he remembered and inhaled sharply, recalling finding his hands on the small of her back.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry, Captain," Rangiku interrupted his thoughts, picking up a small, odd-looking device before running to the nearest mirror and using it to clamp down over her eye lashes, "But I am a girl, Sir, you really should have expected this!"

"You're also a lieutenant," Toshiro frowned as she removed the device away from her eyelashes on one eye only to do the same with the other, "I expect you to be more punctual."

The woman in question pulled the device away again and swapped it immediately for a thin, bright pink cylinder, unscrewing it and revealing a skinny brush covered in black gunk that he recognised as mascara from all the times she'd asked him to check if she'd smudged it while training or fighting. He never got the whole make-up thing, especially wearing it to work, but Rangiku swore by it, saying that she was getting older, but people weren't allowed to notice it.

Toshiro watched, his face scrunched up in confusion as Rangiku pulled a black pencil from her make-up bag and began drawing inside the water line of her eye. Girls were so weird, he decided then, _why would they do this to themselves?_ It looked painful. Lipstick was next, and while he recognised it immediately, it was another thing he didn't understand. Rangiku's lipstick was on everything; her cups, her soup bowls, her ink brushes, her fingers even, and more than once she'd kissed his cheek only to leave a big colourful mark behind. Why did she need to leave a trail on everything she touched with her mouth? It was a ridiculous concept.

"Okay, my make-up is done," Rangiku smiled at him, "Luckily I got all my foundation and contouring done before you got here, Captain, you could have been waiting a long time."

 _Foundation? Contouring?_ She was speaking gibberish now.

"I have been waiting a long time," Toshiro glared a little, "Now put your bloody kimono on so we can go!"

The busty blonde grinned at him before ducking into her bedroom and returning with a beautiful baby pink kimono. He wasn't one for fashion, but at the sight of it, he knew it would suit her perfectly. It highlighted the blue of her eyes and matched the colour of her regular scarf. Her vibrant strawberry blonde hair would look radiant against it too; she'd be a pillar of brightness tonight.

He helped her into it and even tied her obi for her in a beautiful and professional bow, just as she had trained him to do many years ago. A long slit up the side revealed her legs when she walked and in true Rangiku fashion, her boobs practically fell out the top. She was definitely going to get some attention tonight from the young men in the room, and he silently prayed he wouldn't have to beat some horny lieutenant up if they made a serious move on her.

"How do I look, Captain?"

Rangiku twirled in front of him, her kimono hugging her frame tightly and her wavy hair cascading over her shoulders gently.

"You look beautiful, Matsumoto," Toshiro answered, half because it was true, half because he'd never hear the end of it if he didn't say something nice.

She beamed at him happily, and he felt a little guilty that it was the nicest thing he'd said to her in a week. Over the last few days, they'd slowly been returning to their previous relationship, although Rangiku was still behaving perfectly, hoping to be allowed to come to the feast despite her ongoing grounding. He'd granted her permission, although he made it clear that it was not signalling the end of her punishment, but was in fact a one night allowance to celebrate their friend and respected colleague.

"You look sexy, Sir," Rangiku giggled, "The girls are going to swoon!"

Toshiro rolled his eyes and exited her quarters quickly, hearing her yelp a little and scamper after him. 'Sexy' was a wild exaggeration, but he would have accepted 'smart', 'respectable' or even simply 'good'. To be fair, any clothing other than the dull black robes of the soul reaper uniform was going to dramatically alter all of their appearances, but still he was a far cry from 'sexy'. He wore simple white pants, with an icy blue undershirt and a white kimono top. It was a simple outfit really, the only thing that made it look good on him was the fact that the white matched his hair and pronounced his eyes – although he wasn't much of a fan of that reason – as well the design of a stunning dragon on his back, pale blue like his undershirt and a nod to his zanpakuto spirit. As if hearing his thoughts, the great ice dragon rumbled contentedly in the back of his mind.

…

Entering the Oiwai Hall was an assault on the senses; firstly, intense colour – lanterns, streamers, wall and ceiling paintings, table cloths, napkins, and all the captain and lieutenant teams from each division in wildly bright kimonos. Secondly, incredible smells wafting out of the kitchen doors every time a serving attendant walked in or out. Thirdly, elegant music played softly under the loud chatter of his colleagues.

Toshiro was impressed; he'd been in the room once before, for his own promotion feast, but that was years ago, and he was just as blown away as he was back then. He was surprised they didn't use the hall more often, but now that Kyoraku – the self-proclaimed 'party king' – was Head Captain, and the two wars were long behind them, maybe there would be more celebrations in future. The whole set up was almost enough to make him forget he was still annoyed with his constantly late lieutenant. _Almost._

He heard footsteps behind him and turned slightly to see Rangiku catching up in quick little steps. He watched as the token awed expression came over her face at the sight of the feast venue. She grinned happily at him, but then something over his shoulder caught his eye and her smile turned to a wicked grin.

" _Ruuuuukkkkiiaaaaaa!"_ Rangiku sung loudly across the room and Toshiro didn't hesitate for a single second as he speedily walked away and pretended to be admiring one of the large marble pillars, oblivious to the beautiful woman meeting Rangiku just meters away.

He spared a quick glance in her direction and his jaw dropped instantly. He was immensely thankful that she and Renji were caught up in their conversation with Rangiku and no one noticed the way he was staring at her. Rukia looked gorgeous, but not even that word was good enough to describe the young noble woman's incredible appearance that evening. She wore a black kimono which was patterned – rather fittingly – with snowflakes and snowdrop flowers. It hugged her body beautifully, coming in tight at the waist and proving she had a very fit and athletic body and a natural curve over her hips. Her hair was swept off her neck and held up by a single chopstick, while numerous loose strands framed her face beautifully; it left her neck exposed and Toshiro tried not to vision himself kissing and sucking her milky throat. Rukia looked mature, and even a bit powerful, like no man in this room could ever be good enough for her. Despite the lack of a haori, Rukia looked like a captain.

"Hello, Captain."

Toshiro tore his eyes away from Rukia to glance up at the woman speaking to him, or women he should say, as the two Kotetsu sisters closed in on him quickly.

"You look really good, Captain Hitsugaya," The smaller one – Kiyone – said, although her voice almost came out as a slight purr.

"I- t-thank you?" Toshiro asked; _yes, 'asked',_ because he was beyond confused as to what was happening. Nobody but Rangiku said stuff like that to him, and she was usually just teasing him.

"Have you been working out, Captain?" Squad Four Captain Isane Kotetsu asked before leaning over to touch his arm, her fingers wrapping around his bicep and giving it a quick squeeze.

Toshiro was dumbstruck. He needed Rangiku to explain this; she tended to know what body language and tone of voice meant because Toshiro certainly had no idea right now. It appeared like they were flirting with him but he couldn't be sure, and there was also the major possibility that this was another stunt by the SWA to publically humiliate him.

"You're due for your full medical examination," Kiyone pointed out, batting her eyelashes a little, "I could give it to you in private?"

She took a step forward but Toshiro found himself moving backwards to put some more space between them.

"Don't be silly, Lieutenant," Isane smirked at her smaller sister, "A medical examination of a captain should be given by another captain. We'll have to take some… _measurements_."

"Oh, I- um…" Toshiro couldn't form an answer because he had no idea how to handle this situation. He didn't even have an idea what this situation was about.

"What about after the feast tonight?" Isane continued, leaning down and Toshiro realised how ridiculous it must have looked as the tallest woman in the Seireitei loomed over the smallest man, "I could even come to your living quarters if it would make you feel more comfortable…"

Toshiro felt a hard surface against his spine and found himself completely backed up against a wall with the Kotetsu sisters only coming closer and blocking his escape.

"Maybe we could both come?" Kiyone pressed a hand to the wall beside Toshiro's head and her smile twisted into a sultry grin, "You do deserve special attention, after all…"

Isane nodded enthusiastically while Kiyone winked at him suggestively. Words were lost on Toshiro's tongue as he opened his mouth only to make a strangled choking sound. Luckily, he was saved by an angel in a pink floral-patterned kimono.

"Ladies, do you mind if I borrow young Hitsugaya here for a minute?" Kyoraku pushed between them, gently grabbing the prodigy's forearm, "The food is about to come out if you want to take your seats now."

The girls shared a glance of mild disappointment before turning away and moving towards the main table. Toshiro stared after them, still completely bewildered by the recent conversation. Beside him, the Head Captain chuckled under his breath before leading Toshiro over to the other end of table.

"I've got a lot to teach you about women, Kid," Kyoraku muttered playfully as they reached the table and Toshiro sat down between him and Ukitake, who smiled at him, humour shining in those tired eyes.

A glass of wine was placed in front of him and soon after, the first course of food arrived at the table causing the volume of chatter to halve as everyone tucked into the entrée. Toshiro glanced up the table and saw Rukia sitting between Rangiku and Renji, opposite her older brother and the crazy Kotetsu sisters. Toshiro watched Rangiku talking animatedly with the Squad Four leaders and the prodigy prayed that she wasn't giving them advice on how to flirt with him better.

"Rangiku becoming a bit of a handful?" Ukitake nodded towards the group at the other end of the table.

"She's always been a handful," Toshiro muttered before popping a dumpling into his mouth.

The older white haired man chuckled softly next to him and Toshiro recalled how he still hadn't said a proper thank you or goodbye to the kind captain who had been his guide for so many years.

"I didn't want to do this at the meeting, but I owe you a proper thank you," Toshiro murmured in a low voice so that only Ukitake could hear him – and maybe Kyoraku if he strained his ears but Toshiro didn't mind if the Head Captain heard since they were close too, "You've done a lot for me, especially when I became a captain, and I'm not sure what I would have done without you. Thank you for everything, Ukitake, you'll never know how much I appreciate and respect you."

He was immediately engulfed in a tight, warm hug, and heard Kyoraku sniffle a little beside him. Toshiro let Ukitake hug him, although he was hoping beyond hope that no one else was watching this. The emotions he had felt in the meeting hall at the beginning of the week came flooding back and he had to take a shaky breath to calm himself. Ukitake released him slowly, wiping away some of the wetness forming under his own brown eyes.

"You've come a long way, Shiro-Chan," Ukitake smiled, and for the first time ever, the silly nickname didn't bother him, in fact this time he found it endearing because after all, they were both Shiro-Chans and it was an unbreakable connection between them, "Will you do a few things for me please?"

"Anything."

"Call me Jushiro now; I'm a friend, not a fellow captain," Ukitake requested, "And please try to have more fun, Toshiro! You're so young, live a little, and don't let this job drag you down."

"Okay…" Toshiro felt his mouth twitch, "Jushiro."

He wasn't sure when he was going to find the time to have fun between all the stacks of paperwork surrounding his desk, but if that's what the older man wanted from him, he'd do his best to oblige.

"Awww," Kyoraku swooned from Toshiro's other side and effectively ruined the sweet moment, "Can you call me Shunsui? I'm your friend too!"

"You're also my boss," Toshiro pointed out, a grin forming on his face.

"But I'm not a regular Head Captain; I'm a _cool_ Head Captain," Kyoraku pouted into his glass of wine, "Ask anybody."

"Maybe a little too cool," Toshiro retorted, reminded of the last gift Kyoraku had given him – AKA the infamous magazine – and also of all the times he'd gotten Rangiku drunk during the work day.

In all fairness, Kyoraku was a cool Head Captain; he was kind, fair and honest. He did love a party, but when things got serious, so did he, allowing him to handle most situations with grace and integrity. These days, soul reapers didn't have to walk on eggshells, constantly living in fear of execution the moment they broke a law. Kyoraku becoming Head Captain had been the best thing to ever happen to the Soul Society, but Toshiro wasn't about to tell him that. Perhaps he'd wait until his retirement too.

Suddenly Toshiro sensed a pair of eyes looking his way from across the table, and he glanced up to see one very beautiful lieutenant watching him. He was surprised when she didn't look away instantly and even more so when she offered him a small smile. He couldn't help but return the smile shyly, warmth spreading rapidly through his chest. For the second time that evening, the dragon within him rumbled contentedly.

"Rukia is a very beautiful woman," Ukitake whispered in his ear having noticed the exchange, "You two would make a fine couple."

The prodigy's face heated instantly, "I- n-no, that's not what I was-"

"Relax, Kid," Kyoraku leaned over his other side, "Do you still have that magazine I gave you? There are lots of great tips in there."

Toshiro's cheeks flushed even brighter as he recalled the so-called 'tips', and Kyoraku laughed heartily beside him, already knowing the answer to his question. Ukitake swatted his friend's arm playfully and they both continued to grin down at him in amusement. Toshiro groaned and stared at his dumpling soup which was slowly growing cold on him – not that he minded the cold, even in his food.

"If you have feelings for her, you need to let her know," Ukitake continued seriously, "I think you'd be surprised."

What did he mean by that? _Did he know something?_ Toshiro glanced at the sickly man questioningly, but the man only smiled before turning to look fondly at his lieutenant across the table. Toshiro turned too and saw the younger Kuchiki finishing up a rather personal-looking conversation with her friend, Renji Abarai.

The young prodigy sighed, ignoring the knowing glances being exchanged by the two older men either side of him. He was glad that they decided to drop the topic as the entrees were cleared and the second course was place in front of them. They ate and drank, the food was impeccable and even though Toshiro wasn't a fan of wine or alcohol in general, each sip of his drink tasted better than the last, and soon Kyoraku was topping up his glass from a bottle on the table.

He wasn't getting drunk, he was hardly even tipsy, but the wine relaxed him a little and allowed his confidence to grow. He continued to steal glances at Rukia as she ate and ate and ate. He had grinned to himself at one point as he noticed that the young noble was still eating after everyone else, and eventually he noticed her visibly trying to restrain herself from continuing. _So, the girl could eat then_. Toshiro liked a girl who ate well; it was a refreshing change from when he used to go to lunch with Momo and the girl would only order a salad and spurt nonsense about needing to 'look skinny for Aizen-Sama'. Rangiku was in the middle somewhere; she didn't eat as much as Rukia but she ate a hell of a lot more than Momo, she also tended to only eat junk food, which he promised her was going to go to her thighs once it had stopped going to her boobs.

Eventually, the last course was cleared by the quick and quiet group of waiters, and all of their drinks were topped up for the toast.

Kyoraku tapped a stray spoon against the side of his wine glass, calling everyone's attention and silencing the room. The Head Captain stood in all his glory, the bright pink of his kimono standing out across the table. He raised his glass and everyone mimicked his movement.

"To Ukitake," He announced, grinning down at his friend, "May you have a long and joyous retirement."

He threw back his head and swallowed the contents of his glass, the rest of the room copying the action. Well Toshiro only took a sip, because he didn't want to let his guard down too much with Rangiku around alcohol, especially with the second part of the feast about to start.

"Now, onto the proper part of the feast," Kyoraku continued, his voice rising in excitement, "Bring on the alcohol!"

On his command, the lights dimmed to a more flattering shade, and the music started back up, much more upbeat now than the songs they had heard on arrival. Everyone stood and moved away from the table – most to flood the bar looking for new and stronger drinks. Toshiro straightened his kimono and was hoping to find Rangiku before she could cause too much trouble. Just as he thought of her, his busty lieutenant appeared in front of him holding out a glass of wine.

"Here, Captain," Rangiku pushed the glass into his hand with a smile, "I know you don't like wine very much, but this one is a bit sweeter."

"I don't think I'll drink any more tonight, Matsumoto," Toshiro sighed, running his fingers through his hair, "I think you should slow down too."

"You should have a little fun tonight, Sir," She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Ukitake is always telling you to, and tonight is his night, so humour him."

Her words spoke deep to him; it was one of Ukitake's requests for him to have fun. He supposed there could be no harm in having just one or two more drinks. He nodded at his lieutenant who grinned happily at him before walking away. His eyes followed her back to Rukia's side and noticed how she gave the young lieutenant the other wine in her hand that Toshiro had just automatically assumed to be her own.

And then a bad thought struck the prodigy.

Rangiku had been very keen for him to keep drinking, practically shoving the glass into his hand and using his honour to get him drinking for the Ukitake's sake. She was a smart woman and she knew the prodigy well; her words had been powerful and she would have known it. She might as well have pinned Toshiro down and poured the liquid down his throat.

He sighed; so Rangiku wanted him drunk. _Why? Was this another SWA prank?_ Surely she wouldn't dare knowing her job would be on the line with one more stunt like that. That meant she was probably genuinely trying to help him, and honestly, that thought was even scarier, because Rangiku didn't have a good idea about what things help situations and what things don't. Alcohol usually didn't help, despite her glorifying the substance to be some sort of cure for absolutely everything. Still, the woman couldn't have expected him to get drunk off one glass and it would be hard for her to convince him three or so more times since he was very aware of his limit when it came to alcohol, which meant that she must have-

 _Oh no…_

Suspicious, Toshiro raised the glass to his nose and inhaled the scent of the wine. He couldn't pin point anything other than the sweet aroma of the grapes, so he brought the glass to his lips, took a deep breath and tipped it back. He only allowed the smallest amount to enter his mouth, and when he swallowed he knew instantly that it was not just wine in this glass; it had been spiked. If his glass had been spiked, then it was likely that-

 _Rukia._

Toshiro flash stepped instantly to the ebony haired woman's side, clutching her arm and pulling it and the drink in her hand away from her mouth, but the glass was already two thirds empty. His eyes found Rangiku's instantly and the woman looked around as if completely ignorant to the happenings in front of her.

"What did you put in them, Matsumoto?" He barked as the devil woman continued to look innocent.

Rukia's brother was there in a second and he pulled the glass out of Rukia's loosening grip before smelling it and turning to glare at Rangiku as well. Toshiro watched through concerned eyes as Rukia's pupils went in out of focus and her cheeks grew red. She swayed a little on the spot and Toshiro kept a steady hold on her; he would not see her fall.

As if noticing the commotion, the Head Captain appeared out of nowhere, casually slinging an arm over her neck and Toshiro was forced to let her go as she stumbled a little into the brunette man's chest. She glanced up at him fondly.

"You're a much better Head Captain than the last Head Captain."

Kyoraku chuckled and Toshiro scowled at the slur in her voice, promptly moving to Rangiku's side, gripping her wrist tightly before she could escape. In the background, he could hear Byakuya trying to get permission to take his little sister home but Kyoraku was in full party mode now, and nobody leaves his party until he says so, which is basically never.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Toshiro hissed at his lieutenant, fury flowing through his blood.

"I just thought that-"

"No, Matsumoto!" Toshiro growled, his voice growing a little louder, "You didn't think! You never think these things through! You don't know what might have happened to her."

"I would have kept an eye on her," Rangiku defended, but Toshiro had stopped listening.

Rukia had been left unattended, muttering something about her head and pointing vaguely in the direction of the back door. She took a shaky step forward and almost tripped; Toshiro rushed forward to catch her and steadied her once more. He looked around the room and spotted Byakuya still in a heated discussion with the Head Captain, clearly still being denied permission to leave with his sister.

"I'll take her outside until Captain Kuchiki can get permission to leave," Toshiro told Rangiku, his voice stern and unrelenting, "Then we'll be having a talk, Matsumoto."

He ignored the frown Rukia sent his way before leading her outside. They exited the hall and immediately the cold of winter hit them but neither shivered; pure white snow was thick and untouched on the ground below them.

"Don't be too mad with her," Rukia giggled, "She means well."

"Sometimes I wish she'd mean well in other ways," He replied with an exasperated sigh.

He really didn't know what he was going to do with Rangiku; this was the second time in a just over a week that she'd over stepped her bounds. Yes, she did usually mean well, but more often than not, people got hurt, or embarrassed… _or drunk._

"Hey now," Rukia called his attention back, poking him hard in the ribs and then giggling when he glared half-heartedly at her, "You need to loosen up."

 _So he had been told_.

Rukia dropped clumsily into a sitting position in the snow with a satisfied sigh. He watched with mild apprehension as she laid back and stretched out, but he suddenly found himself restraining a grin as she began to move her arms and legs in an effort to make a snow angel, although the angel's legs were severely restricted by her tight kimono. He let a smile form on his face a little at Rukia's playful nature, and adored how she could sit in the snow happily and without shivering. An ice wielder and winter lover, just like him; the one thing that usually isolated him from everyone else was the biggest thing that connected Rukia to him, and he loved that. Finally, someone who understood his love for the cold, and appreciated its beauty.

The black haired woman sat up and turned to look down at her angel shape with a mad grin, causing Toshiro to reflect her expression and his spiritual pressure to spike a little, copying hers.

"What's going on with that?" Rukia asked, waving her arms between them like some sort of interpretive dancer.

"With what?"

"The reiatsu thing," Her hand gestures becoming wilder, "The spiritual connection whatever- …How come it never happened to us before? Like when we were in the World of the Living on that mission together?"

"It's likely it was activated by that kiss," He answered, trying to shrug it off like the kiss was just an everyday occurrence, but in his mind, it was one of the greatest experiences of his life – up until she had pulled away and left without a second thought, of course – and when he looked at her, he fought the strong urge to cup her cheek and guide their lips back together for a second round.

"Mmmm," she hummed, her eyes focusing out once again, "That was a good kiss."

Toshiro's jaw dropped immediately at Rukia's surprising words. She had enjoyed the kiss? _Was this real?_ He tried to appear neutral but his mind was going in to overdrive. Why had she run away and avoided him for the following week? Surely she meant he words, because as Rangiku often said, _'drunk words are sober thoughts'_. Did it possibly mean that if he tried to kiss her now, she would kiss him back?

"What is that?" Rukia asked quickly, glancing over his shoulder with a mildly panicked expression.

Toshiro whipped around to face whatever it was, mentally preparing to enter battle without his zanpakuto, which was sitting safely in his quarters. He frowned when he saw nothing and suddenly, something cold and wet hit the back of his head. He knew without looking that Rukia had just thrown a snowball at him, and he turned to face her with an amused expression.

She was gathering another snowball in her lap and grinning manically at him. Slowly she got to her feet and he was relieved to see the fresh air had helped her feel better enough to at least stand steady.

"Oh no," her voice drawled teasingly, "The Icy Captain has been challenged. How embarrassing to be beaten in your own element, Captain…"

Toshiro smirked, and decided to play along. He might even satisfy Ukitake's demand that he have more fun, or at the very least, he would get to have a snowball fight with someone of the same element as him and therefore probably a decent opponent. Although the alcohol and dress would certainly restrict her speed, Rukia would still be much more of a challenge than Momo had been as a kid. He recalled the girl not being able to throw more than one snowball because her hands would become too cold.

"You have no idea, Lieutenant Kuchiki…" Toshiro let his smirk grow and his voice lower challengingly, "… With whom you are messing."

Instantly, the both leaped away from each other in a quick flash step. Toshiro knew that Rukia was already armed, so he needed to up his speed and gather his own ammunition quick smart. He landed with a skid that he hoped made him look cool, and used his powers to draw the snow up into his hands, automatically forming perfect white balls. He had three in mere seconds and crouched in fighting stance, ready to show Rukia how the pros do it.

The competitive side of him wanted to destroy her, but the more intelligent and caring side told him to take it a little easier, especially while she was in this state. He threw the first one and it grazed her ear as she moved out of its way. Toshiro had anticipated her speed perfectly, knowing that she'd only just get out of the way in time. He didn't allow her much time before throwing his second one, this time aiming for her ribs but it hit her arm as she moved again behind the thick trunk of a blossom tree. He had her speed spot on but her agility was better than he had expected, and he wanted to make her dance some more as her body twisted gracefully and rather alluringly in the tight kimono.

The third snowball was launched with more strength; Toshiro felt confident that Rukia could get back behind the blossom tree that she was currently sticking her head out the side off. She yelped, jumping back and the ball shattered hard against the thick bark. He quickly made a fourth ball and threw that too, this time having no mercy as she tried to run out from behind the tree. The lieutenant only just managed to cover her face with her arm as the icy ball hit her. Toshiro chuckled, satisfied with the results so far.

"I can't run in this kimono," Rukia hissed quietly causing Toshiro to laugh some more.

"What was it you said, Kuchiki?" Toshiro teased, flash stepping behind her, "That you'd beat me in my own element?"

Rukia flash stepped away from him quickly before he had the chance to form another snowball.

"If your lieutenant had not spiked my drink…" the pretty woman slurred a little, reminding Toshiro that she was still quite drunk, "… I would not be making this so easy for you."

"Are you always prone to excuses?" He continued to try provoke her, but he'd slowed down his movements.

She finally threw her first ball since the official battle had begun, and it was a sloppy and slow ball that he dodged with an easy side-step. In a flash of black and white Rukia disappeared, reappearing much closer to him; Toshiro narrowly escaped the snowball that was launched at his face and he felt a sharp cold brush against his cheek. _Well_. Maybe he didn't need to slow down for her at all. With that in mind, he flash stepped away again.

Things were getting serious now, and Toshiro loved every minute of it. He couldn't remember having this much fun in a very long time.

He heard Rukia giggle as she moved towards the blossom tree once more, glancing around for him. Toshiro decided to make his presence known and appeared off her left side. He anticipated her next move quickly, catching the snowball hurled at his face. He used his powers again to combine the snow rapidly into a much bigger ball before throwing it back at her. The prodigy smirked as it shattered against her shoulder and her eyes began to darken competitively.

"That's it, it's on now," She practically growled, shuffling a little in her tight kimono.

Toshiro found her determined expression and her somewhat murderous look to be incredibly sexy… like push her up against the tree and ravish her _sexy_. He managed to retrain himself, of course; he wasn't an animal. However, in the back of his mind, he was reminded vaguely of one of Kyoraku's old tips. The flirty former captain of the Eighth had told him, "Marry a girl who looks sexy when she's mad." This was largely due to him always being in trouble with his lieutenant and other ladies; he needed to find angry sexy otherwise he'd never see them any other way.

Hearing the distinctive sound of fabric ripping apart, Toshiro looked back to see Rukia tearing the side of her dress almost all the way up to her hip bone. The prodigy's face heated up instantly as he saw the outside of her pale thigh.

"R-Rukia!" He exclaimed, taking off towards her.

He skidded a bit in the snow and reached for her hands to stop her ripping her kimono any more, but he'd had too much momentum behind him and accidently knocked Rukia back. In her drunken state as well as being on the icy surface, Rukia had slipped out from under her feet. She had reached out for him and he'd tried to catch her, but in the end, he just tumbled on top of her.

 _Shit_ , he panicked, leaning back to look at the woman below him. She was physically fine, which Toshiro was very relieved about, but he also became aware of just how close he was to her and how his hips had fallen between her legs. This was a very similar position to one he seemed to see in his magazine a lot, and the reminder caused his cheeks to flush.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

Rukia was staring intently at him and he felt her spiritual pressure begin to wrap gently around his own. Their power mingled like they'd known each other for years – which they had, but not nearly to this extent of closeness – and Toshiro could feel that force building again, the one that had pushed their bodies up against each other in the chamber last week.

"I'm sorry," He apologized after she nodded to his previous question, and tried to get up but he found himself unable to; Rukia's hands were wrapped in his kimono.

He looked into her eyes and saw a strange emotion and then the next thing he knew, she was pulling him down again, their lips crushing together. It felt _so good_ , and even their zanpakutos agreed in an explosion of power. Toshiro wanted to lose control but he remembered how they got into this situation in the first place, and he knew he simply couldn't take advantage of her in this way; it was not who he was and he wasn't about to take something from Rukia that she might not necessary want to give.

"I-I can't," He pulled back and tried to get his breathing under control, "You've had your drink spiked, it would be improper-"

Rukia's arms were on his back and pulling him back down, passion and desire in her intense violet eyes.

"Shut up and kiss me," She growled again, meeting his lips halfway.

Toshiro tried to pull back again, convincing himself that this was not okay for him to do to a beautiful lieutenant, but as her hands stroked up and down his back, his restraints crumbled and he melted into the kiss powerlessly. As he let his lips move against hers hungrily, all his concerns evaporated. She was kissing him again, and this time she was wasn't pulling back or doing it just to get out of a locked room.

 _Drunk words are sober thoughts_. Did that apply to drunk actions too? We're they built on sober desires?

He really hoped so because as Rukia's legs spread wider beneath him as her hands continued to explore his back and Toshiro knew he would want to do this again and again and probably for the rest of his life, but for that, he needed Rukia. If the feel of her spiritual pressure embracing him and caressing his body gently was anything to go by, the lieutenant definitely wanted to be there with him in the moment.

Testing his confidence, Toshiro shyly allowed his tongue to swipe along her bottom lip, desperately asking her to grant him access. She did instantly and the prodigy pushed his tongue inside her mouth, eager to taste everything about her. A throaty moan tore from the lieutenant's lips and Toshiro felt an instant hardness in his pants. That was the most incredible sound he'd ever heard, and he wondered what it would sound like if next time she moaned his name.

Her tongue met his and they stroked each other between mouths in a kind of romantic dance. Rukia broke away for air but her hands kept holding him close so Toshiro took the opportunity he'd spent half the night thinking about and latched his lips onto the side of her neck. The skin there was just as soft and lush as he had been imagining, but better because it was no longer his imagination. He kissed and allowed his tongue to explore her throat. He wanted to suck on the skin a little too, but he knew that if he did that, he'd leave a bruise-like mark and he didn't want people to see it and begin making assumptions about her, especially as she took over a whole division.

His mouth returned to hers but he slowed it down, taking his time to show her how much he cared and how he felt. He wasn't great with words, but actions he could work with. He doubted she was taking in the meaning behind it all now, but he hoped in the morning she would remember this moment and understand what he was trying to tell her.

Her legs spread even further apart and the prodigy shifted, his arousal pressing against her firmly. He wanted to move, to grind against her until they both came undone. It was a primal instinct but he'd also seen pictures of it in his magazine and in movie scenes from his time spent with Rangiku in the World of the Living. He decided to save it though, for a night when Rukia wasn't drunk and when he knew how she really felt about him.

One of his hands cupped her cheeks instinctively and he felt her nip at his bottom lip gently, drawing it into her mouth. Toshiro was about to follow it up with some more tongue work but then-

"Sorry to interrupt."

Toshiro pushed himself up faster than he'd ever moved in his life and he was glad Rukia had let go of him because with his new rush of speed and strength, he would have brought her up with him, still pressed flush against his body.

Byakuya Kuchiki stood dominant and powerful, his expression extremely unimpressed. Toshiro took another timid step back. He noticed Rangiku was also there, but unlike her company, she looked very pleased and almost a little proud, but whether she was proud of his actions or just proud that her drink spiking had been put to good use, he wasn't sure. Maybe she actually thought she was going to be let off the hook for her disobedience?

"Rukia, we now have permission to leave," Byakuya announced, and Toshiro quickly returned to Rukia's side to help her back up onto shaky feet. He decided it was best to keep holding onto her hand for the time being, although Byakuya eyed it before spotting the large tear in the kimono, "What happened to your dress?"

A warning glare was sent his way and Toshiro shook his head and opened his mouth to explain, but Rukia beat him to it.

"I did it myself, Nii-Sama, I am sorry," She explained quickly, and Toshiro realised her hand was still holding his as much as he was holding hers, "We had a snowball fight and I couldn't run in the dress, the Captain here tried to stop me… It's how we ended up in the snow."

"Was that why your reiatsu was flailing all over the place?" Rangiku asked curiously, although her face suggested she was more amused than anything.

Toshiro glared at her and mouthed the word, 'don't'. She shut her mouth, instantly knowing he was getting pushed far with his emotions right now.

"Come Rukia, let me get you home," Byakuya called for his sister.

He sent Toshiro a look; it was almost challenging and Toshiro was confused until he saw the very quick flicker of the nobleman's eyes to their still linked hands and back up. It was clearly a please-let-go-of-my-little-sister-now look, although Toshiro imagined the request was not as politely spoken in Byakuya's mind. Rukia moved towards her brother and Toshiro let their hands separate only when she was literally too far to touch him without him following her. He held back on his desire to do so once again, just appreciating that the Squad Six Captain had let him live another day after ravishing his sister in the snow.

The two Kuchiki's walked away from the hall, but Rukia glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled that same warm little smile that she'd sent him over dinner that eventing. Toshiro followed her with his eyes until they were out of sight, silently praying he'd get another chance to be with her again like that.

He turned to Rangiku who was analysing him with her eyes, and he immediately had to look away. He didn't want her to see his emotions right now because he knew she could read them effortlessly after all their years together.

"Come, Matsumoto," Toshiro murmured, "Let's go home."

…

They arrived back at the division barracks sometime after midnight. The walk had been long and quiet, and Toshiro had been very grateful for Rangiku's silence as he tried to process the events of the evening and the emotions that tagged along with it. The Squad Ten leaders moved in and out of hallways until they reached his living quarters; he'd known Rangiku was planning to follow him in since they had passed her door some time ago and she walked right past it without a second thought.

He unlocked his door and moved into the main living space, leaving Rangiku to close the door behind her. Toshiro collapsed face down onto the nearest couch, and laid there motionlessly. Minutes passed and soon enough he heard Rangiku setting a mug of tea in front of him and then he recognised the familiar feel of her weight settling beside his feet.

"Are you ready to talk about it?" She asked softly, placing a gentle hand on his calf.

Toshiro sighed; _not really_ , but he felt like he needed to get some of this out before he burst. He sat up slowly, reaching forward for the tea and bringing it to his lips to blow on gently. The genius and prodigy stared hard at his mug; the hardest part was the first sentence and he just had to say it.

"I like Rukia," He exhaled shakily.

Rangiku nodded, urging him to continue.

"She's just… she is perfection," Toshiro looked away, feeling the heat in his cheeks, "But we can't be together. She's a noble, I'm not, and I doubt Captain Kuchiki will give her permission to see me again after tonight."

"Don't be so sure," Rangiku scolded him lightly, "You're a great man, Captain, better than most nobles."

"I don't think it's going to matter," he replied, clenching his jaw in an effort to swallow down the feelings rising into his chest, "I'm not even sure she likes me."

The busty strawberry blond scoffed and Toshiro turned to face her, her expression highly amused.

"Um, weren't you just making out in the snow with her?"

"She was drunk, remember."

"And I'm sorry again about that."

"You didn't apologise in the first place."

"The point is," Rangiku clicked her tongue, pushing aside the conversation that would surely have resulted in her receiving punishment for spiking his and Rukia's drinks, "Her hands were all over you and even I could feel the way her spiritual pressure was trying to fuse with yours. That sort of thing doesn't happen unless there is serious attraction involved."

"Well I'll believe it when she kisses me sober," Toshiro frowned, "And not locked in a room with no other escape."

Rangiku had the decency to look guilty before the prodigy looked away from her again. He had a nervous weight in his chest; he liked Rukia and there was a fair chance she felt something for him too. Tomorrow he was going to march right over to Squad Six and talk man to man with Byakuya. He was going to ask permission to ask Rukia on a date – at least, once he was done apologising for shaming their noble family in the snow in front of the prestigious Oiwai Hall – and then, _if he survived_ , he was going to track Rukia down and find out what she really wanted.

…

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	3. Not at all nervous

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…

Chapter Three: Not at all nervous

Toshiro tilted his head to the side, confused by the sight he was seeing.

Thick snow covered the entire ground as well as the tall alpine mountains surrounding the valley, and a frozen lake twisted around hundreds of flowerless cherry blossom trees. A cold breeze filtered through from the north, and he felt Hyorinmaru hum in satisfaction; the great dragon recognised his home.

Toshiro was in his inner world, he was sure of it, but there were a couple of notable differences. For one, he had never seen so many cherry blossom trees in his personal sanctuary before. Secondly, there was a house that definitely had not been there the last time he checked.

The lone cottage sat in the centre of the valley, facing towards the widest part of the lake. It should have looked out of place in the otherwise uninhabited and completely natural landscape, but for some reason, it looked like it had been there for years and the land had somehow moulded around it accordingly. The lights were on inside and smoke wafted peacefully out of the chimney. Toshiro frowned; this was _his world_ , nobody else should be here, but as he walked uncertainly towards the traditional style home, the sound of a child squealing playfully rung in his ears.

The young prodigy quickened his pace and rounded the back of the house. He stopped dead in his tracks. _People_. There were actually people in his inner world. _That was impossible!_

He saw the child; a young girl, no older than perhaps five or six human years, skating effortlessly over his lake, completing perfect jumps and pirouettes that ought to be well above her skill. She had long wavy snow white hair and flawless pale skin. Toshiro felt his heart skip a beat; _she looked like him_. He couldn't see her eyes but if they were teal he was going to freak out, because she could very well be a younger sister that he never knew he had.

"Mum!" the girl called back to the house, "Watch this!"

The girl picked up her speed before digging the toe of her skate into the ice and launching herself into the air while spinning. She impressively landed back on the ice without falling over and Toshiro almost clapped.

But then some clapped for him. Toshiro whipped around to face the front porch of the cottage and identify the perpetrator. His jaw dropped. _It was Rukia_ – but perhaps ten human years older than she was now; her hair was much longer, her face more mature and her eyes held a sort of wisdom that only came from age. She was wearing her standard black soul reaper uniform, but now with a long sleeved Captain's haori over the top, the Japanese symbol for '13' visible on her back between long strands of ebony hair.

She looked powerful and _stunning_.

"Well done, Sweetie," Rukia called out to the girl who continued glide across the ice gracefully.

Toshiro blanched; was Rukia the little girl's mother? If she was, then who was the-

"I can't believe she's still out there," a deep voice chuckled, and Toshiro's eyes almost burst from their sockets.

It was himself that had talked, but not from the body he was currently watching the scene in. There was another Toshiro, and he was standing under the threshold of the front door, smirking as he also watched the young girl skate.

Toshiro stared – from a third person perspective – as the other him stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Rukia's waist from behind, pressing a gentle kiss against her neck. This new version of Toshiro was older just as Rukia was, looking exactly as he did in his matured bankai form, but without the all the ice armour. He stood tall and proud, still wearing the Squad Ten haori – although it was finally in an adult size.

"She's your daughter, Toshiro," Rukia grinned, tilting her head a little to let the older Toshiro continue to kiss her neck, "She gets it from you."

"Excuse me, I am not the only ice wielding parent here," Older Toshiro chuckled, straightening up and propping his chin on to the raven haired woman's crown, "Like mother, like daughter, I believe."

Toshiro – _the real one_ – felt his heart beat dangerously fast and his lungs struggled to keep up with his body's oxygen demand. He was a father. Well not him _him_ , but older him; _future him?_ And Rukia was the mother of his child. The young prodigy squinted his eyes at the couple and spotted matching white gold rings on their left hands. _They were married too?!_

Toshiro thought he might faint.

How was all of this possible? How was he even seeing this? It couldn't be real. _Surely not._ This was his inner world for a start, nobody but he could visit this place.

"Who are you?"

The little captain turned sharply to face the voice and saw the young girl from the lake – _his daughter, apparently_ – staring at him curiously. Her white hair was even brighter up close, but her eyes weren't teal, they were an amazing shade of violet.

Toshiro took a step towards the young girl, his hand reaching out to her tentatively. His foot slipped in the snow and he clenched his eyes instinctively as he fell. Opening them up again, Toshiro found that he wasn't in his inner world at all; he wasn't even in the snow.

He was in bed.

The whole thing had been a dream; a very vivid, _very memorable_ dream.

…

"Are you going to see Captain Kuchiki today?"

"Yes."

"To ask permission to take Rukia on a date?"

"Yes."

"And if he agrees, you're going straight to Rukia to ask her out?"

"Yes."

"Are you nervous?"

"No."

"Why have you been standing in front of the door like a statute for the past ten minutes then?"

"…"

"…"

"… Get back to work, Matsumoto."

The Captain of Squad Ten heard his lieutenant giggle from her desk as he stood with his back to her in front of the closed office door, his hand frozen on the handle.

 _Open it._ Nothing bad could happen just by opening the door.

Toshiro coaxed his fingers back to life and slowly he slid the door to the left, revealing the empty corridor outside. Now all he had to do was take a big step out of the office followed by another and another and several more until he arrived at the Sixth Division.

 _Move legs._ Nothing bad could happen just by moving his legs.

Rangiku was laughing harder now, and Toshiro scowled. He felt his foot rise off the ground and step forward, planting firmly back on the wooden floorboards, and then the other followed suit. It was weird; he could see his legs walking but they didn't feel like his own. He walked out of his division barracks, trying to smile at his soldiers as he passed them but his face hurt and they looked at him strangely before dropping into their respectful bows.

Was he nervous about going to see Byakuya? No. No, no, no. _Of course not._ That would be silly. He'd only made out with his little sister… while she was drunk… in the snow… while she was wearing a ripped dress… at a very important Gotei Thirteen event. Well… perhaps he was a little, tiny, itty bitty bit – he wouldn't say nervous, more… _mildly apprehensive._

Hyorinmaru's sheath grew ice cold against his clothed spine as the legendary dragon zanpakuto spirit tried to ease his mind.

'Relax, Master,' the dragon rumbled in the back of his mind, 'Senbonzakura's wielder is a fair man; he will give a chance to prove yourself a worthy partner for his sister.'

'I am not a noble,' Toshiro thought back bitterly; he'd never cared about the Soul Society's class system until now.

'Neither was Captain Kuchiki's wife,' the dragon replied, amusement in his deep, resonating voice, 'and neither was Rukia once upon a time.'

Sometimes Toshiro forgot that Rukia had once been every bit the poor street kid he'd been. She'd found Renji, and he'd found Granny and Momo; all of them had managed to survive through the poverty fortunately, and had all gone on to become successful Soul Reapers, with the exception of Granny, of course. He didn't see how Rukia's past made a difference to his situation though; she was a Kuchiki now and the noble rules applied, it was as simple as that.

'Be brave, young Master,' Hyorinmaru murmured, 'Think of her, think of how much you want to be with her and her brother will see that.'

'Yes, okay,' Toshiro breathed, nodding his head in silent self-encouragement; _he could do this._

'Yes, you can, Master,' Hyorinmaru chuckled deeply, 'and then the next step is to simply ask Shirayuki out.'

Toshiro paused mid step.

'… Shirayuki?'

'Rukia,' the great dragon corrected quickly, 'I meant Rukia – Sode no Shirayuki's wielder.'

The Captain frowned, mentally opening his mouth to retort but then snapping it shut again with a shake of his head. He took a slow step forward before gradually building up speed towards Squad Six.

'We're coming back to that,' Toshiro stated, trying to hide the smile in his voice; it seemed he wasn't the only one with a crush on a beautiful ice princess.

The dragon didn't reply after that, retreating into the recesses of Toshiro's mind once more.

He walked steadily through the Seireitei, passing a couple of the other squads. Squad Ten and Squad Six were actually situated next to each other but Toshiro had decided to take the scenic/longest possible route to get there. Most of the division barracks looked the same, with the exception of the hospital style Squad Four and the industrial laboratory style Squad Twelve, but were easily identified by their gates and their flags. The gates always had the squad number painted on them in black, and the flagpoles in the front courtyard always displayed the squad flower emblem, usually on the background of the division's colour. For example, Squad Ten's flagpole proudly displayed their yellow daffodil on a background of forest green. So, when the Squad Six insignia – a white camellia on a cobalt blue background – came into view, Toshiro's hands became clammy with nerves, but it wasn't until he was standing at the wide wooden gates – an intimidatingly big Japanese '6' painted on the doors – that his nerves really kicked in.

 _Breathe._ Nothing bad could happen just by breathing.

Taking a deep breath, the prodigy entered the division of Byakuya Kuchiki. The inside of the squad barracks was almost identical to his own, especially in regards to how the soldiers behaved. They were well disciplined, hard-working, and trained to recognise the captain's haori and bow immediately, even if it wasn't their own captain walking by. They were the values that both he and Byakuya had drilled into their officers, the only two exceptions being their lieutenants, although Renji was definitely better controlled than Rangiku was.

Toshiro followed the path he'd take to his office if it was his own squad, since most division barracks had similar layouts. He had no trouble in finding the door that read:

 **Squad Six**  
Captain: Byakuya Kuchiki  
Lieutenant: Renji Abarai

Administrative Office

Toshiro breathed again. He could just feel Byakuya's spiritual pressure on the other side of the door and the noble man seemed to be calm at present.

 _Knock_. Nothing bad could happen just by knocking.

He raised his fist to the door and clenched his eyes shut, inhaling sharply. He knocked in three quick beats and opened his eyes, taking a step back from the door.

"Enter," Byakuya's smooth voice drawled.

 _Enter_. Nothing bad could happen just by entering the office.

Toshiro started to feel like his self-encouraging words were getting less and less believable.

With another deep breath, Toshiro raised a shaky hand to the door and slid it to the right. He stepped inside the office and Byakuya eyed him from the desk, gently placing his ink brush down and sitting back in his seat.

"Captain Hitsugaya," Byakuya greeted him evenly with a respectful nod of his head.

Toshiro copied the move, "Captain Kuchiki."

"Please sit," the noble said, gesturing to couches in the centre of the room; they were exactly the same as the ones Toshiro had in his office, but he doubted Renji ever napped on them in front of his boss.

The young prodigy entertained the request, closing the office door behind him and moving promptly to sit on one of the couches. Byakuya joined him on the opposite couch after a few minutes and placed an elegant tea cup on a matching saucer in front of him. The black haired man swept his sleeve out of the way and began to pour them both some steaming green tea out of a very fancy tea pot. Toshiro's office didn't have those; he had only chipped mugs – all of which had been presents from Rangiku over the years – and a disturbing about of sake cups. He quietly thanked the other captain for the tea and tried to not let the tremor in his hands show as he lifted the tea cup and it's saucer up off the table.

"May I ask what brings you here today, Hitsugaya?" Byakuya asked, his face expressionless as always.

 _Like he didn't know,_ Toshiro scoffed internally, but kept his face impassive to match his company.

 _Speak._ Nothing bad could happen just by speaking his mind.

Now his thoughts of self-encouragement were getting downright ridiculous.

"Firstly, I wanted to apologise for my actions last night," Toshiro bowed his head to show his remorse, "I should not have taken advantage of your sister like that, I… I respect her very much, and it was not my intention to bring shame to her or your family."

There was a brief pause of silence, but Toshiro kept his head down; he'd been taught to do so until his apology had been accepted. Granny had been very strict about it.

"Rukia tells me it was her who made the first move," Byakuya said at last, "Is this correct?"

"It is true," the smaller captain admitted rather reluctantly; he hoped Rukia was not in too much trouble with her brother, "However, I should not have given in so easily. She was under my care and I let things get out of hand. For that, I am sorry."

"Why did you then?" Byakuya asked.

Toshiro frowned; why did he _what?_

"I'm sorry?"

"Look at me."

Byakuya's request was firm and Toshiro raised his head to meet the noble's dark and mysterious eyes. His expression was less neutral now; he didn't look angry like Toshiro had suspected but instead his gaze swept over him curiously, as if he was trying to work out what kind of man he really was. The prodigy felt his spine straighten automatically under the analysing eye scan.

"Why did you give in so easily?" the Squad Six leader repeated more specifically, "I want the truth."

 _Tell him._ Nothing bad could happen just by- _STOP IT!_

Toshiro nodded and took a deep breath; if the truth was what Byakuya wanted, than the truth he would get.

"I like Rukia," Toshiro spoke clearly, gathering up every shred of courage he had and pouring it into his voice; honestly, he'd faced Aizen's Espadas and they had scared him less, "I _really like_ her. I think she's an incredible woman, and if you give me a chance, I'd like to get to know her better."

"Are you asking my permission to date my sister?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow at him.

"I am asking your permission to ask your sister if she would date me," Toshiro said slowly, making it clear what the difference was; in the end, it was _Rukia's decision_ , "Or if she would at least go on one date with me…"

He added that last bit after a second thought; perhaps she'd like to go on a sort of trial date first before she committed herself to anything. Wasn't that how it worked? One takes the other out and they decide afterwards if it was worth seeing each other more regularly? Toshiro didn't really know, to be honest; the magazine didn't provide many non-sexual tips on relationship development.

Admiration flickered briefly in the stoic Sixth Division Captain's eyes, and the raven haired man leant back against the couch, his expression thoughtful.

Several beats of silence passed as the older man regarded Toshiro, and the little captain sat still, hoping to appear very patient while awaiting a response, despite the fact his fingernails were digging dangerously into his skin through his hakama pants.

"You are a good man, Captain Hitsugaya," Byakuya finally broke the silence, his tone of voice much more final and decisive, "You have shown respect, and I hope you will always show Rukia that."

The message was clear; it wasn't 'I _hope_ you respect my sister', but actually ' _you will_ respect my sister'. There was to be no debate, no challenge and no room for error. Toshiro didn't need to consider it; he knew he'd always treat Rukia with the upmost respect- _Wait!_

 _Did he… Did he just…_

Toshiro blinked several times uncomprehendingly; _did Byakuya just grant him permission to pursue Rukia?_

 _Yes, he did._ It wasn't explicitly said but the implication was there.

"Oh I, um-" the famed genius suddenly found his tongue tied, "Th-thank you, Sir."

He bowed low, and suddenly realised how stupid he'd just looked; they were the same rank – equals in the eyes of all Soul Reapers and here Toshiro was bowing like an unseated officer and calling him 'Sir.' He sat up quickly and ignored the rare flash of amusement in the older captain's eyes, his expression otherwise perfectly impassive.

Thankfully Toshiro was saved from further embarrassment as a loud knock rung from the other side of the door.

"Enter," Byakuya called, turning his attention to the Squad Four Soul Reaper suddenly bowing in front of him.

"Captain Kuchiki, Captain Hitsugaya," the young officer greeted them both before turning to face the taller captain, "Sir, I have been sent by Captain Kotetsu to inform you that your lieutenant, Renji Abarai, has been admitted to Squad Four for treatment."

"Treatment for what?" Byakuya questioned the messenger, frowning deeply.

"Frost bite and hypothermia, Sir," the officer answered promptly, "He was found encased in a block of ice."

A beat of surprised silence passed as both of the captains processed the words. After a short moment, Byakuya turned his gaze on Toshiro once again, his eyes clearly asking if he'd done it, which would make sense given the prodigy's powers. The white haired captain shook his head slowly; he didn't know anything about it… he hadn't even seen the tall tattooed lieutenant on his way in.

Another beat of silence passed as Toshiro and Byakuya both came to the same conclusion. The older captain sighed, slightly exasperated, and the small Squad Ten Captain had to purse his lips together to keep from chuckling.

"Rukia," they murmured together.

…

Toshiro entered the large open gates of Squad Thirteen and was pleased to see every single one of the division's soldiers working hard on Rukia's first official day of taking over the squad; he knew how hard it could be, even if only one subordinate spoke out. Many had when he'd taken over from Captain Shiba, believing he was too young and inexperienced to lead their squad – some had even transferred out of the Tenth – and it had made his first day so much harder. Fortunately, Rukia was more approachable, liked by everyone and a strong leader; it had him feel proud to see her doing so well, although he was definitely going to have to ask her why she wasn't taking on a captain's role.

The prodigy found himself at the office in no time at all, and although the nerves were tingling back up his spine, he was more of an excited type of anxious than anything. He could feel the familiar cold of her spiritual pressure and he almost considered reaching out to her with his own before knocking. He really hoped that Rukia's enthusiasm last night was built upon real – _and sober_ – feelings she might have held for him. He took a steading breath, and knocked on the door.

A couple of muffled banging noises sounded from the other side of the door and then Rukia's familiar voice called out to him to enter, although it almost an octave higher than normal. Frowning a little and sliding back the door, Toshiro saw Rukia hastily mopping up a fallen ink pot on her desk, her cheeks dusted in a deep shade of red. Behind her, the desk chair was lying on its back on the office floor.

He raised an inquisitive eye brow at the young lieutenant; when Rangiku got that ruffled it was usually because she was trying to hide something from him – usually a sake bottle or her own 'special' magazine.

"Rukia," He tilted his head questioningly, secretly enjoying the sight and also the new freedom of using her first name, "Are you alright?"

It was his favourite line to use with Rangiku, as it usually only made her more flustered.

He watched, still extremely amused, as she continued to wipe her desk with the dirty rag, although he could see quite clearly that the ink was all gone. She had glanced up at him, her gorgeous eyes skimming over him briefly.

"Oh, um yes, I-" She said, her cheeks only reddening, "I'm fine… How are you?"

Her response had been almost classic Rangiku – although she wasn't nearly as loud or dramatic – it had broken and lacked any real answer to his question, and then she'd tried to distract him with her own question. _'I'm fine'_ was a lie; it was _always a lie_. He knew it like the back of his own hand, seeing it used every day; hell, he used it himself about once a week.

Before the Squad Ten captain could answer, Rukia took a step back from her desk and – apparently forgetting about her fallen chair – stumbled over it, throwing a hand out to catch herself quickly. It had happened so fast; he'd stepped forward and reached a hand out for her automatically, despite the distance still between them, but was relieved to see her save herself from the fall, and even more thankful that she hadn't noticed the sudden flash of worry in his eyes as she bent low to pick up the chair.

As she bent over, Toshiro had a decent view of her. The way her back curved, the way her hair slid off her neck to reveal that beautiful throat that he'd ravished not twenty-four hours earlier, and the way her ass- Nope, he didn't need that thought right now; erections were extremely visible in hakama pants.

"I'm good," he drawled in response; _really good actually_ , given the view, "I actually just came from your brother's division."

Rukia corrected the chair and slid it under the desk before meeting his eyes again, her expression surprised.

"You went to see my brother?" She asked, blinking at him owlishly, "If it was about last night, it was completely my fault. I told him that."

 _Her fault?_ Well, Toshiro knew that was extremely debatable; Rangiku had spiked her drink, and he'd knocked them over in the first place before caving very quickly to her demanding lips… He didn't like the way she frowned; 'her _fault_ '. Had it been a 'fault' though? Was it just a drunk mistake to her? Did she regret it already? He was overthinking things, he knew, but it was his instinctive reflex.

His confidence had just taken a serious hit – not that it ever took much to bring it down. He glanced at his feet and shuffled, trying to give his best impersonation of a casual shrug.

"I know you told him it was your fault, but I should have taken better care of you," He murmured softly, "…I'm sorry for taking advantage of you."

He looked back up at her, his eyes desperately trying to seek answers. Just what did she feel about the kiss? What did she feel for him?

Rukia shook her head quickly, "You didn't take advantage of me. I kissed you… And I'm glad I did."

Rukia's tone had surprised, but her words? No, not possible. Surely he was dreaming again? He remembered seeing them – a possible future them – happy together, complete with wedding rings and a daughter.

So she had enjoyed the kiss? He watched her shuffle things on her desk as if it was the most interesting desk she'd ever seen. The words were still processing and eventually he came to the conclusion that she had just spoken the truth. Her tone had been honest, no-nonsense and to the point, and now she wasn't looking at him as she waited a response, biting her lip softly. Why were feelings so hard to discuss? Why couldn't they have included a 'how-to' type of guide about expressing romantic emotions in his magazine? To be fair, he probably wouldn't have read it – not with those distracting images.

"I'm glad you did too," He spoke up, his voice slowly picking up on his returning confidence, and he offered her a shy smile.

"So, um…" Rukia moved around the desk and sat on the corner, the distance closing between the gradually, "Did you just come here to tell me you went over to see my brother?"

He could tell she was trying to get to the original point of his visit, and he getting close to it, _honestly he was,_ but his confidence had finally rebuilt and the way she had fiddled with the objects on her desk had reminded him of the scene he'd walked in upon entry into the office. Maybe he could stretch his visit out a little longer – _why would he want to leave now anyway?_ She had just admitted to liking last night's snowy make out session. Perhaps there was time for a little more fun.

"Well I did see your brother to apologise first," He began, relaxing his stance a little and allowing his smile to grown visibly. "But we got a little distracted when a member from Squad Four arrived. Apparently Lieutenant Abarai had been frozen into block of ice… You wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

"Oh, well yes, of course," Rukia admitted to it straight off the bat, but there was something in her eyes that told him she was nervous and reluctant to share the whole story, "Renji likes to over step his boundaries. Sometimes I have to remind him of his place. I understand that a library is not the most appropriate place to do so, but he was... but he just... pissed me off.'

A tiny groan and an embarrassed chuckle had escaped her lips, confirming to Toshiro that there was certainly much more to this story. Perhaps Renji had seen her doing something she wasn't supposed to do? _But at the library?_ Nobody had mentioned it happening at the library and now Toshiro was _very_ interested in what might have happened. There wasn't much trouble to be had at the library, so just what had she been up to? Rukia was a respectable soul reaper; he couldn't imagine her doing anything other than checking out some books or somethi-

 _Hmmmm... Interesting._

"Were you checking out a suspicious book?" Toshiro asked bluntly, "You know they have an adult section there, and Yamamoto once banned Kyoraku from checking out any of those books…"

It was a lie. _Probably_. Could have been true, actually, but Toshiro didn't know for sure, he was just trying to get a feel for one of the possible scenarios Rukia might have found herself in when Renji arrived.

Panic flashed through Rukia's eyes and she stammered out a broken denial, causing Toshiro to grin more.

"I was looking at a book on women's health," She mumbled at last, "D-did you just come by to- wait a minute… How do you know about the adult section? I thought they didn't let kids into those sections?"

A smirk grew on her face and her teasing voice floated around the room. Toshiro leant back on his heels, impressed by her sudden come back. He didn't believe the women's health book story for a second; it took her way too long to come up with, but he was certain it must have been similar, probably a sexual health book or something. The thought made him grin _; just why now, would she be investigating that?_

Intrigued but also needing to come back from her final retort, the prodigy decided to drop his questioning and defend himself. He loved the banter and it reminded him of the snowball fight; first he was winning, and then she had surprised him with a smart move, just as she had done now.

He let the snowball graze his cheek again, "Of course I know about the adult section; I have Matsumoto for a lieutenant and Kyoraku for a boss."

He was planning to win this battle too, just like he had the snowball fight – and he had won, _or he would have,_ had the raven haired girl not begun to rip her dress off. Just as he had with the snow; he caught her ball and threw it back at her.

"And if I remember correctly, Rukia," Her name rolled off his tongue beautifully, "You kissed me even though I'm a kid to you. Are you a cradle robber, Rukia?"

He was kind of hoping this new banter-version of the snowball fight would also end in a make out session; but he'd probably have to actually ask her out first.

"All _little_ boys should grow up eventually," She retorted, her smile only growing, "But I get it, it must be so hard for you with a lieutenant like Matsumoto mothering you all the time, some people just don't want to grow up. If I hurt your feelings I'm sure she'll cradle you back to sleep."

There was a casual little shrug at the end of her reply.

Toshiro raised his eyebrow; _fuck, she was good_. He fought back a laugh, but it only made the temptation to burst out in a loud, uncontrollable laughter just that more appealing. He held it back though, but his diaphragm still trembled a little, tiny shockwaves of ridiculous humour surging through his body and desperate to get free. He couldn't pull back his grin either; his cheeks were beginning to hurt but he didn't care – he hadn't found something this funny in a long time.

He ignored the Matsumoto rocking him to sleep comment; although it had actually happened before, but he didn't think Rukia needed to know that right now – it wasn't exactly a sexy image. Instead he circled back to the 'little' comment, obviously intending to dig at his possible size. He hoped she soon get to discover if it was really 'little' or not for herself.

Suddenly, he stepped forward to bridge the gap between them. He leant over her, putting his hands on the desk either side of her hips and effectively trapping her. He glanced down at her lips and back to her eyes, forcing himself to stay back, although it was hard with the heat of her body radiating against him and her sweet breath ghosted his skin.

"I think you'll find I'm very grown up," He murmured, voice low and almost purring, eyes boring into her; he saw no better time than now, "Come on a date with me and I'll show you."

She was close enough for him to simply lean forward and kiss her… but he wouldn't. He was feeling confident now but not _that_ confident. He was still a newbie to kissing, after all; to date, he'd only had two – one with a desperate to get away Rukia, and one with a drunk Rukia. _Yes_ , he was going to have to wait until she kissed him properly, for no other possible reason but the fact that she wanted to.

"A date?" Rukia repeated, blinking uncomprehendingly. She stared at him for a long time, and Toshiro almost backed off, the fear of rejection tasting like bile in the back of his throat, but then: "I-… I'd love that."

Toshiro felt his brain melt uselessly inside his skull; it had been a fifty/fifty chance that she'd say yes, maybe even more likely since she had admitted to liking the kiss, but still, he was speechless. A beautiful woman – Rukia of all beautiful women – had just agreed to go on a date with him. A date. _What was a date?_ He suddenly didn't know. What did he do now? What was the next step?

She asked about the whether the SWA knew or not, and Toshiro frowned a little but he could see why it was a serious concern to her.

"Rangiku knows but I know she will keep it quiet until we're ready for people to know," he told her honestly; Rangiku could be serious sometimes, usually when his feelings were on the line, because at the end of the day, he was more important to her then gossiping with the SWA.

"Alright," she smiled at him, "When did you plan for this date to happen?"

His mind went over his mental calendar, immediately blacking out his work days. There was a free day coming up next week.

"Next Saturday?" He suggested, clearing his throat a little and finally leaning away from her. He took a small step back, just to put a safe distance between them.

"Of course next- oh," Rukia frowned, seemingly remembering something, and turning to glance at her calendar, "Any chance we could do an afternoon date? I have a demonstration to show bankai at the Spiritual Arts Academy in the evening."

A demonstration to show bankai at the Spiritual Arts Academy… Well that certainly rang a few bells in Toshiro's head, remembering that he had agreed to the same thing.

"You're doing that too?" Toshiro asked, unable to stop the grin spreading over his face, "I forgot that I signed off on it last week…"

The thought of seeing Rukia's bankai sent a shiver of excitement down his spine and even Hyorinmaru seemed to vibrate softly against his back. The alleged 'most beautiful zanpakuto in the soul society' and an ice type at that; Toshiro had been curious about it for a long time, but now, with his newly developing relationship with the young Kuchiki, the prodigy was almost desperate to see what she could do in her final release.

He recalled the invitation he had agreed to; it had specified the demonstration being about how bankai can change a Soul Reaper's physical appearance, and that was why he was going to perform his for the students, revealing his matured form. He wondered, with a slight tilt of his head and a curious sweeping gaze over the pretty lieutenant, just what her bankai form would look like.

"We could go together after our date?" Toshiro asked, the excitement clear in his voice.

"Yes, I suppose we could go together," She murmured, violet meeting teal once more, "That would make sense."

Toshiro nodded firmly, liking the plan.

Rukia's agreement was like music to his ears. The demonstration wasn't until the evening, which meant they got to spend the whole afternoon together up until the sun had long gone down. Maybe he could extend it further by planning an all-day date? The way the banter had been effortless between them gave him enough confidence that he and Rukia could spend a whole day and evening in each other's presence and she wouldn't get sick of him.

What could they do that would keep them entertained for hours and could also be romantic? They'd have to eat, certainly, so he'd have to pick a good restaurant or something. He wanted the date to be fun, he knew that, and maybe something to do with winter or snow; something that connected them.

He wondered how she'd feel about going to the World of the Living for the day? He knew she loved the place after spending so much time there with Ichigo. There were certainly many more options there, and they were also a lot less likely to be spotted. He didn't want to spend their date looking over their shoulder. For a social trip to the human world Toshiro would have to get permission from Kyoraku, which meant he'd have to tell him why… The prodigy shrugged internally; it would be worth it just to see Rukia smile.

"I-um, I'll do some planning," Toshiro murmured, his mind already searching through his mental database of Karakura restaurants that he'd eaten at before, "And I'll let you know of the details in a few days' time?"

"A-alright," She agreed, offering him another cute smile, "I look forward to hearing from you and to the date as well."

Her smile was forever beautiful; Toshiro doubted he's ever get tired of seeing it – he doubted he'd ever stop pausing his thoughts at the sight of it just to marvel in her beauty.

The prodigy turned and walked back towards the office door; he knew when to quit while he was ahead. The last thing he needed was to over stay his time or accidently say or do something to upset the happy and exciting terms they were currently on.

His hand reached the door, slowing pushing it open and he glanced over his shoulder to look at her one more time.

"I'll see you soon, Rukia,"

Her name still felt like heaven on his tongue and he let the 'R' roll a little. He offered her another smile; genuine, to show how pleased he was with their meeting, before slipping out the door.

He took a deep breath once he was outside the office; that had been much more successful than he could have imagined.

…

It wasn't even midday yet on a Tuesday morning and Kyoraku was drinking, and had been drinking for some time it seemed.

"Where's Lieutenant Ise?" Toshiro frowned; normally the dark haired lieutenant managed to keep him in line, at least before lunch time.

"Little Nanaonao is running a training drill," Kyoraku nodded to himself; grinning merrily, "She wants all the new recruits to have a shikai by the end of spring…"

The prodigy raised a white eyebrow; learning shikai in a few short months? That was a big goal. Why couldn't Rangiku be this proactive as a lieutenant? What did she even do for the squad?

"I require your permission for something, Head Captain," Toshiro said, giving a short respectful bow.

"Call me Shunsui, Tosh," Kyoraku winked at him, "We're practically family around here."

Toshiro opened his mouth to retort but thought better of it, hastily snapping his jaw shut once more. He really couldn't believe this man was in charge of the whole Gotei Thirteen. The brunette captain chuckled at his expression.

"What do you need approved?" Kyoraku asked, taking another sip of his sake and eyeing Toshiro curiously.

"I would like to go to the World of the Living next Saturday with Lieutenant Kuchiki of Squad Thirteen," Toshiro said evenly, preparing for the teasing that would surely follow, "It's a social trip."

The older captain's eyes flashed in delight and amusement, and suddenly he was whipping a second cup out of this kimono-covered haori sleeve, pouring sake into it and pushing it under the young genius' nose.

"My littlest captain is all grown up!" He exclaimed, beaming excitedly, "Come, have a drink with me."

"N-no, thank you," Toshiro unconsciously leant back from the cup; that liquid smelled too much like his lieutenant, "I'm good."

"Nonsense," Kyoraku chuckled, "You're a grown man now, Toshiro, drink with me."

The prodigy eyed the cup with suspicion; he knew exactly what it could do. Sure, he didn't mind the odd glass of wine at a formal dinner, such as Ukitake's retirement feast last week, but sake was a different story – it was Rangiku's favourite and what turned her into a useless second seat. The amount of times he'd been called to come pick her stumbling, slurring ass up from various divisions or bars – mid week – was uncountable. He'd carried her home, he'd held her hair over the toilet, and he'd rolled her passed out form into the recovery position… He _knew_ what sake could do.

"Come on, Kid," Kyoraku sung, topping his own sake cup up, "It's only a little bit and we're celebrating!"

"What are celebrating?" Toshiro frowned a little, and the older man winked suggestively.

"The big date!" the taller man said excitedly, "You and Rukia; come on, let's make a toast!"

"I really don't think that will be necessary," the white haired man crossed his arms over his chest and tried to quell the heat rising in his cheeks.

"Okay, well you give me no choice then," Kyoraku drawled, leaning back with a smug grin, "If you want permission to go to the human world with Rukia, I need to see you drink."

"… You can't be serious."

"Oh, but I am."

Toshiro clenched his jaw; _seriously, how did this man become Head Captain?_ He rubbed his temple with his index and middle finger in a slow, soothing, circular fashion. It was eleven on a Tuesday morning; what he needed to be doing right now was scheduling training drills and rostering shifts for next week, not drinking disgusting liquid from pink floral cups that were identical to Kyoraku's kimono.

He took a deep calming breath. This was for Rukia – for their date that he needed to go well so he could continue to see her. Slowly, he reached a hand out to take the small cup, ignoring Kyoraku's 'That's my boy!' comment.

"Okay, a toast!" Kyoraku seemed rather pleased with himself, picking up his own cup and holding it out in front of him like he'd done at the feast, "To first dates!"

"To first dates," Toshiro murmured in return, allowing the brunette to clink their classes together before they both tipped the cups back into their open mouths and swallowed the liquid.

Toshiro's body involuntarily twitched at the foul taste, causing his boss to chuckle at him and fill up a second cup each – or whatever number Kyoraku was up to now – and they started the process all over again, this time toasting 'to Rukia'.

 _To Rukia, indeed_ , Toshiro thought, swallowing back the second cup. He hoped there weren't too many toasts left to go through, but he was thankful that it was only a small amount of liquid in each glass.

 _What was the worst that could happen?_

 **TWO HOURS LATER**

"To hot lieutenants!" Kyoraku and Toshiro sung together and swallowed back their next cup.

The prodigy was unsure of how long he'd been at the Eighth – wait no, Kyoraku was at the First now – he wasn't sure how long he'd been at the First, or why he was even there in the first place, but his body was a nice sort of warm and his worries had been all calmed. At some point, both he and Kyoraku had shrugged off their haoris because they were getting a little too warm.

 _Sake; what a magical liquid!_ He was honestly surprised more people didn't drink it. He was even more surprised it had taken him so long to get on board with it. Sake was _goooood_. More than that, it was _great_. Superb. Fantastic. He'd long lost count of just how many things they had toasted to, or how many cups had followed, but he vaguely recalled shouts of 'to Hustler magazine', 'to sake' and 'to women-kind'.

Suddenly, Nanao slid open the door looking very unimpressed.

"To Nanao," Kyoraku sung, raising his cup towards her before drinking that too, Toshiro following his lead, although he'd managed to remember his place, saying 'to Ise'.

"Captain!" Nanao shouted, storming into the room and confiscating their cups and the bottle of sake, "You promised you'd finish the paperwork; it was due last week!"

Kyoraku chuckled softly, leaning over the table to Toshiro and murmuring in his ear, "She's so sexy when she's mad!"

Toshiro couldn't help but chuckle; remembering the tip the Head Captain had once given him long ago.

"I heard that," Nanao spat, her jaw clenched and nostrils flaring a little.

The young genius felt a shiver run down his spine; _that wasn't sexy, it was scary!_ He must have let some of the fear show on his face because the spectacle wearing lieutenant looked at him, her eyes flickering over him briefly before she turned back on her captain, smacking his arm with a rolled up stack of paperwork.

"You got him drunk!" She hissed, "He's only a boy!"

"M not a kid, Isssse," the smaller captain slurred, getting to his feet a little wobbly, "I have a magazine!"

"You see! He's fine," Kyoraku stood up as well and slung an arm around his lieutenant's shoulders, only to be shrugged off instantly, "Toshiro, I grant you permission to go to the World of the Living with little Rukia."

"To go to the…with Rukia" Toshiro frowned trying to remember, but then recognition dawned on his face and he began to grin manically, "The date!"

Kyoraku smirked at him and even Nanao offered a small smile. Toshiro beamed at them happily; the date with Rukia! In the World of the Living! _How exciting,_ he thought, _maybe he should go tell Rukia now?_

"Thanks, Shunsui," Toshiro blinked – because he'd somehow lost his ability to wink in the last few hours – and moved towards the office door, picking up his discarded zanpakuto on the way, "See you later, alligatorrr."

Kyoraku's booming laughter followed him out the door and he heard Nanao chastising her boss, saying "You can't let him walk through the Seireitei like that!"

Feeling light and relaxed, Toshiro decided to take the rooftop route to Rukia's division. He'd almost fallen a few times, catching himself last minute and chuckling about how close that had been. Eventually, the bordering fence between divisions arrived and he hopped over it effortlessly. He wasn't even using much flash step, just enjoying the cool winter air surrounding him. He landed on the office building and was surprised to feel both Rukia and Rangiku's spiritual pressures inside. _My two girls,_ Toshiro hummed, smiling a little at the idea of seeing the woman he liked and the woman who was his best friend. He didn't even care that Rangiku was slacking off from her duties once again.

Walking over to the edge of the roof, Toshiro glanced down at the ground with a frown; was it always so high up? How had he gotten up here in the first place? The window was right below him, so perhaps he could slide in that way?

The prodigy shrugged; it seemed like the best way to go. He laid on the roof on his stomach and slowly pushed himself over the edge, until his legs were the only part of him still up there; from the waist up, he was bent over the gutter and hanging upside down, facing the window. His hands were preventing him from sliding completely off the roof as they clutched onto the edge.

Inside the office, he could see Rangiku and Rukia talking, but the window was closed and he couldn't make out any words. Suddenly Rangiku seemed to notice him hanging upside down over the window and screamed in surprise. Rukia whipped around to face him instantly, and Toshiro let go of the roof so he could wave at them. Unfortunately, he had forgotten that his hands were holding him up, so when he removed them, he slipped forward over the roof edge.

He landed on his back in a soft pile of snow, just under the office window. Air left his body in a sudden and involuntary exhale, and it took a few beats for him to be able to inhale again. The glass slid across and both of his girls were staring at him with wide eyes.

"Captain!" Rangiku yelped, "Are you okay?"

Toshiro grinned up at them and waved cheerily, the two women exchanging confused glances. Rukia extended her hand out to him, and Toshiro caught it. _Such beautiful hands,_ he thought _, so soft_. He pressed a light kiss to her knuckles, watching inquisitively as her cheeks turned a gorgeous shade of pink. Rangiku was giggling, eventually extending her own hand out to him, and together they helped him back onto his feet.

"The door is open, you know," Rukia blinked at him as Toshiro put his hands on the window sill and hoisted himself up and over, stumbling a little and falling again, only this time it was inside the office.

"Why would I use the door when the window is right here, Rrrrukia?" Toshiro flashed her a grin.

"Oh, Captain," Rangiku was still giggling, "Did Captain Kyoraku get you drunk?"

"We toasted," Toshiro nodded enthusiastically, "'To Rukia'!"

He mimicked toasting and drinking as Kyoraku had taught him today, causing Rangiku to burst out in tears of laughter and Rukia chuckled softly, although her cheeks were still a little pink. The white haired boy tilted his head and stared at her curiously.

"Well that explains the kimono," the raven haired girl smirked once Rangiku had calmed down a little, glancing down Toshiro's body.

 _What kimono?_ Toshiro frowned, before glancing down at himself and noticing that where his haori should have been hung an all too familiar pink kimono. It was way too big for him, creating a long train around his feet – which was now dirty and wet from the journey and the fall – and the sleeves had been rolled up several times so that he could use his hands. He saw flashes of Kyoraku placing it on his shoulders, and Toshiro calling himself 'Head Captain Junior."

"Oh dear," Rangiku sighed between giggles, "I'll give that a wash tonight. I'll return it tomorrow and get back your haori, Captain."

"Whatever you say, Ran," Toshiro yawned, leaning back against the desk, suddenly very tired.

"You should take him home, Rangiku," Rukia was muttering and Toshiro glanced through blurry eyes to see her staring at him, concern flashing through her beautiful violet iries.

Rangiku hummed her agreement, and the prodigy felt her hooking an arm around his waist and helping him back up into a proper standing position. The girls were talking to each other – probably about clothes or the SWA – but Toshiro wasn't really listening as he leant against Rangiku's side, her boobs coming in handy for once as they made an excellent pillow.

"Come on," Rangiku was tugging him towards the door, "Let's get you into bed, Captain."

"Wait," Toshiro halted in his spot, turning to look back at Rukia with as serious an expression as he could muster, "Saturday, nine a.m., I'll pick you up from here."

"Where are we going?" Rukia's mouth twitched in amusement.

"To the World of the Living," Toshiro smiled back, "That's all you get to know."

The young Kuchiki raised an eyebrow at him but her mouth was forming into a proper smile as Toshiro grinned cheekily at her. He knew she'd like the human world for a date location, but he was still going to surprise her with the rest of his date plan.

…

 **:D**

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter! Please review as it really does mean so much to me!**

 **Again, please go read and review the counter chapter at 'Mind of an Ice Princess' by LethanWolf! She loves reviews too and trust me, we went to a lot of effort role-playing scenes in this story. There were several late nights and early mornings because we live on opposite sides of the world :(**

 **Until next week, my loves xx**


	4. She literally has the perfect ass

**!** **::::::WARNING::::::** **! guys GUUUYYYYSS we've gone up to an** **M-RATING!** **There is an explicit lemon scene at the end, so if you're uncomfortable reading that level of sexual stuff, please stop after the scene at the academy.**

 **Sex!**

… **at the end.**

 **You've be WARNED.**

 **Enjoy ;) xx**

…

Chapter Four: She literally has the perfect ass

Well this was it; _the day of the date_.

Toshiro could feel the nerves bubbling in the pit of his stomach and it was making him a little nauseas; he had decided to forgo breakfast that morning because of it, justifying that he'd make it up to his body at lunch time. Apart from being nervous, the prodigy was also extremely excited about the prospect of spending an entire day and evening with the woman of his dreams ( _literally,_ over the last few nights). He hoped that his plans for the day would be sufficient, both in making Rukia happy and in cementing the grounds for a potential serious relationship in the near future.

They had left Rukia's office a little after nine as planned. It was a long journey, but eventually, the bright light at the end of the Senkaimon barrier between worlds came into focus, blinding them momentarily before they landed on soft snow-covered ground, the gate closing and disappearing behind them.

"Where are we?" Rukia gasped, her face lighting up in awe.

Toshiro turned to face the scene; they were standing by a frozen lake, surrounded by white snow that covered everything; hills, trees, grass – literally, _everything_. In a word: _'fresh';_ the scenery, the air, the serenity – it was extremely tranquil in comparison to the hustle and bustle of the Seireitei. There were no buildings around, nor any people; just the odd bird call to break the peaceful silence.

"Just outside of Karakura Town," Toshiro answered, "I found this place a long time ago; during winter, it looks a lot like my inner world, so I often come here to meditate or relax."

The lieutenant's eyes were wide as she took in the scene around her, and her violet irises brightened considerably.

"It's beautiful," She murmured, bending down to pick up a bit of snow and letting it fall through her fingertips.

"Like you," Toshiro grinned, loving the way her smile had grown and her cheeks went a little pink.

It was true, though; Rukia was beautiful, no matter what she wore – her fancy kimono, her uniform or the human clothes she donned today. The lieutenant stood, black calf boots to match her incredibly tight black shorts, with a loose blue dress that hung over the top; it gave the Squad Ten captain an unbelievable view of her bare legs. The view had been even better when she had bent over to touch the snow; Toshiro's love for the female ass was not disappointed in any way.

He held a hand out for her to take. He wasn't sure if she would take it after the last time he'd grabbed her hand – kissing her knuckles while drunk off sake – but she did, seemingly without much thought about it. They wandered down towards the edge of the lake; the young genius could tell even from a distance just how deep the lake was and how much of it was frozen – it came with his powers; he knew exactly how much water, frozen or otherwise, was in his vicinity at all times.

"I thought we could skate before we go for lunch," the prodigy said, stepping onto the ice and allowing his icy powers to form perfect skates around his feet, "I assumed you could skate, of course."

He raised an almost challenging eyebrow at the young lieutenant, hoping to provoke one of their little games.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Captain," Rukia smirked teasingly, rising to the challenge immediately.

The young Kuchiki copied his movement, drawing up her elemental power to conjure petite ice skates around her feet before pushing herself onto the frozen lake. Toshiro grinned as she glided around him effortlessly before executing a flawless triple Lutz jump and landing smoothly.

The prodigy smirked; as anticipated, Rukia was indeed an excellent skater. Toshiro took off, gliding past her quickly and performing the slightly more complex triple axel jump, landing without fault after three and a half rotations in the air before tucking himself in and allowing his body to spin quickly with just one skate on the ice below him.

"Now that's just showing off," Rukia chuckled a little as they met back in the middle, coming to skate in a slow circle around each other.

"Oh please," Toshiro laughed, "I know an axel is practically child's play to you."

"That's true," the female ice wielder agreed with a grin.

They continued to skate, coming together to work on some couples skating techniques. Rukia had let him put his hands on her waist to assist her into various lifts, and now he was gliding along the wide surface of the lake, holding Rukia up in the air above him with one hand; he was holding her back and she was arched over him gracefully.

Rukia seemed to be having a blast; she was laughing and smiling along with him and the white haired captain was pleased that she was having a good time, because he most definitely was; nobody else in his life liked skating – or any winter sports, really – like he did, and certainly none were up to his skill level, so it was nice to finally have someone to do activities like this with him. He realised that when she was with him, he didn't feel so lonely anymore; he was no longer isolated by the element of his soul and he could be who he truly was with her.

Gently, he twisted her body, guiding her back to the ground and he didn't let her go until he knew she was stable. Her laugh was a beautiful melody in the otherwise peaceful silence, and Toshiro didn't think he was ever going to forget her sound. They slowed down their pace again, coming close together once more. Toshiro's hand found hers and she squeezed it back slightly.

"How brave are you feeling?" Toshiro asked, tilting his head to look at her.

"I have a bankai," Rukia grinned, "I'm not scared of anything."

"So I suppose you'll trust me to catch you if we were to practise a throw then?"

The idea of a throw was that he would literally chuck her into the air as they skated, allowing her to twist her body quickly before falling back down again and into his arms. Most human skaters would have work together for a long time to pull off something like that, but given the slight _advantage_ he and Rukia had, it was very possible they could nail it in just a few attempts, so long as she trusted him.

The black haired lieutenant grinned wickedly at the suggestion.

"I'm not sure I trust you enough for that yet, Captain," Rukia smirked, "How about I make you deal?"

"How about I make _you_ a deal?" Toshiro copied her expression, "You start calling me Toshiro, and then I'll agree to your terms."

The young lieutenant paused, looking rather thoughtful for several seconds; Toshiro was starting to think she might actually turn down his request, but then her smile returned and her violet eyes soften.

"Okay then… _Toshiro."_

"Thank you," the young ice prince felt his heart swelling considerably; _one step closer together_ , "Now what deal did you have in mind?"

Rukia grinned, "If I am to trust you to catch me, I want you to tell me something that nobody else knows about you."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow; she wanted to know a secret, something that he'd never told anybody before, not even Rangiku. One thing came to mind; he assumed Rangiku did actually know, but he'd never explicitly said it to her, and she'd never asked. It fit the criteria for Rukia's request, but still, it was rather embarrassing for him to admit – particularly to the young Kuchiki of all people. However, Rangiku had told him earlier that morning that _'first dates can be awkward, just be yourself and open up a little. Rukia wants to get to know the real you, not Captain Hitsugaya…'_

"Well, this is awkward to admit," Toshiro sighed, looking straight ahead, as Rukia skated slowly beside him, their hands still linked, "But that kiss in the interrogation chamber was my first kiss… _ever_."

A beat of silence passed before the confession seemed to click in Rukia's mind.

"Wait," Rukia stopped in her tracks, using her grip on Toshiro's hand to pull him to a stop as well. She cut in front of him, her intense irises boring into him, "I was your first kiss?"

"Yeah," He shrugged as casually as possibly, before glancing down at her, "I-um… I realise that being locked in a chamber and then my lieutenant spiking your drink were not the best circumstances for my first two kisses, but-"

Suddenly, a pair of soft, cool lips were on his own and it took a second for Toshiro to realise what was happening; Rukia was kissing him! This time there was nobody forcing her to, no alcohol in her system – she was kissing him purely because she wanted to and the young genius thought he might be dreaming for a second. He wasn't though, he knew _; it felt too real._

Rukia's mouth moved against him, encouraging him to open up for her. He did instantly; her tongue entered his mouth, and the prodigy pushed his out to meet her. The appendages danced between their mouths playfully before things began to heat up a little; their bodies melted against each other, Rukia's arms wrapping around his neck and Toshiro's hands held her waist. The raven haired lieutenant made a noise in the back of her throat that had the prodigy pulling her even closer as he sucked on her bottom lip, before plunging his tongue back in her mouth. Her hands now travelled up and down his back like they had outside the feast, and Toshiro let one of his hands slide down over the small of her back and onto her ass. He squeezed very softly, not wanting to come on too strong, but Rukia seemed to enjoy it, pushing her body closer again.

He didn't think they could actually get much closer, and then he was right; one of them – probably him – pushed a little too much and suddenly their ice skates were sliding out from underneath them. The Squad Ten captain made a conscious effort to save Rukia from the brunt of the fall, and in the end he landed sprawled on his back with Rukia lying flat on his chest.

There was a pause of silence as they comprehended what had happened and Toshiro had a flashback of the night of the feast when they had fallen over together in the snow, but this time Rukia was on top of him. They made eye contact and suddenly they were laughing together; loud and raw laughter echoed across the lake and Rukia's head fell onto his chest as she giggled, his hands automatically wrapping back around her waist.

"We've got to stop falling on top of each other, Toshiro," Rukia giggled again after a few minutes, pushing herself off him and having no idea how good his name sounded on her lips.

She landed beside him and together they sat up, sitting side by side on top of the frozen lake. They were both incredibly lucky to be immune to the cold, otherwise they wouldn't be able to tolerate touching the surface with their bare skin and they certainly wouldn't be able to have skates around their feet made purely from ice.

"I quite like falling down with you though, Rukia," Toshiro grinned.

"Well, you saved me from the hitting the ice," the young lieutenant chuckled, "I think I trust you to catch me in a throw now."

She went to stand but Toshiro pulled her back down beside him. She raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"I want to know something about you that nobody knows," the teal-eyed man told her, "After my confession, I think it's only fair, don't you?"

Rukia stared at him thoughtfully for a long time, and the prodigy didn't mind waiting; he was sure she was agreeing to his request but either lost for something to tell him or deciding whether or not to tell him something big. After a while she sighed and looked away, just as he'd done.

"Everyone wants me to go for the Squad Thirteen Captain's position," She murmured, "But I don't think I'm good enough for that yet."

"Not good enough?" Toshiro repeated, frowning deeply, "But you have a bankai now… and you've been leading your squad for months. Literally the only difference is the fact you'll have to wear a haori."

"I don't want to be the sort of captain that needs to be saved all the time," Rukia continued, pursing her lips into a tight line.

"You won't," Toshiro said firmly, "And it's not a crime to need help in battle. You saved your brother in the Quincy war, and in turn, your brother saved me. We're soul reapers, our job is dangerous, and we're going to need saving every now and again."

"I don't want to be some damsel in distress," Rukia muttered, so far unconvinced.

"And you won't be," Toshiro actually chuckled, "I've come across my fair share of damsels, Rukia, and you are far from it. You can look after yourself and that's what I like about you."

The corners of the young Kuchiki's mouth twitched upwards, "Is that so?"

"Yes," Toshiro murmured, leaning over to tuck a bit of hair behind her ear, "Trust me; you'll make an incredible captain. You're strong, smart and brave – you'll be amazing."

Rukia once again seemed to be mulling over her thoughts. After a while she conceded to his argument.

"I'll consider it," She agreed softly.

"Okay," Toshiro smiled, "And if you're still concerned, I'm happy to train with you. I think it would be good for both us, to be honest; we're the strongest ice types in Seireitei, we can help each other perfect our strengths and strengthen our weaknesses."

The dark haired lieutenant smiled softly, "I'd like that."

Toshiro grinned, and with a big push of encouragement from a certain dragon zanpakuto, he leant forward and pressed his lips to Rukia's softly, cupping her cheek gently. He didn't let it heat up this time, and he didn't let it drag on; he simply kissed her softly and withdrew slowly, allowing it to linger a little longer than the average peck.

"Are you ready to give the throw a go now?" Toshiro murmured, his forehead pressing against his date's.

Rukia smirked, pushing him away and using his shoulder for support as she pushed herself back into a standing position.

"Let's do it," She grinned and Toshiro scrambled to his feet excitedly; he'd never actually had the chance to attempt such a move before – largely because he lacked a female to throw.

They took off together, picking up speed as they skated. Rukia slid in front of him and Toshiro placed his hands on her hips once more. He took a deep breath and counted down in her ear so she knew when he was about to throw her. With a great amount of strength, Toshiro launched an almost weightless Rukia into the air above him. He watched with nervous excitement as her body twisted three times quickly, and he threw his arms up to catch her. She landed perfectly in his arms, and he placed her back on the ice as they continued to glide along. They both skidded to a halt and cheered loudly; _they'd done it!_ They'd actually pulled of a near perfect throw on their first attempt. The captain really shouldn't have been as surprised as he was; he was a prodigy, both of them were athletic, and of course, they had a natural talent for all winter sports because they were both ice wielders.

"That was amazing!" Toshiro exclaimed, gliding back to Rukia's side.

"Incredible," Rukia agreed, laughing a little, "Thanks for catching me."

"Any time," the white haired man chuckled.

He glanced at his soul phone and saw that it was almost lunch time; they'd be skating for hours and it felt like no time had passed at all. They skated back to the edge of the lake and trudged in the snow, their skates shattering off them at their commands. It was a bit of a walk back into Karakura, but Toshiro knew plenty of short cuts from his time in the World of the Living, and presumably, so did Rukia.

He hoped the walk flew by as fast as the skating with the ebony haired beauty by his side, but then again, his stomach was beginning to growl. Maybe he should have had breakfast…

…

They arrived at the restaurant and were ushered to the table that Toshiro had reserved for them. He and Rukia had bickered for a while over who was paying but eventually he won; _like he was going to let her pay on the first date._ They ordered some drinks while they went over the lunch menu. Eventually the waiter returned with their drinks and took out a notepad from his apron pocket to take the orders; despite staring wistfully at the dumpling section, Rukia ended up ordering a salad – much to Toshiro's surprise.

The waiter left with their orders, and Toshiro watched with a slight frown as Rukia's expression dropped a little. He wondered why she had ordered a mere salad when she was so much hungrier. He knew she could eat, he'd seen it at Ukitake's retirement feast, so why was she holding back now? Was it a polite thing she'd learnt from being a noble? Or just a girl thing? Toshiro thought it was ridiculous; if she was hungry, she should just eat – it wouldn't bother him. In fact, it'd make him happy.

Rukia leant across the table a little, her smile now back.

"So, what's the deal with you and Rangiku?" She asked.

Toshiro chuckled; it was a pretty common question he got, especially as he grew up and people started to wonder if they were dating, and if not, was he gay. He usually didn't entertain such questions as they were more than likely just after a bit of gossip, but he'd answer Rukia; she wasn't a gossip, she was just curious, and if they were going to go on a date, he was going to need to open up more.

"Well, she drives me mad, and she's a terrible worker," He rolled his eyes a little, although his mouth was smiling softly, "But we're best friends. She's always been there for me, always had my back… I wouldn't give her up for anything…. But don't tell her I said that, it will go straight to her head."

"And you never thought of her... in that way? Not even once?" Rukia tilted her head slightly, "Because she seemed to know you were straight…"

Toshiro raised an eyebrow, and Rukia shrugged casually, murmuring that she was 'just trying to get the root of it.'

The young prodigy was torn between wanting to burst out laughing or blushing furiously, but unfortunately, his face was automatically taking up the second option.

"No, I've never th-though- No," Toshiro gave a nervous chuckle, and scratched the back of his neck, "She knew I was straight because…b-because she found, uhh, s-something, that Kyoraku gave me… and I kept it."

He realised it wasn't the most articulate of answers, but he was sure Rukia would work it out if she thought hard about it. It was awkward, but he was trying to be more open. That being said, he wanted an immediate topic change.

"So…" He drawled before she could reply to his previous answer, "You and Ichigo… all that time here together… anything happen?"

The raven haired girl seemed to mull over his answer longer than he'd hoped she would, her eyes narrowing suspiciously and her mouth forming a straight line that looked mildly displeased. More than likely, she'd worked out what that 'something' was that Rangiku had found.

"Before I answer about Ichigo, if you want pictures, maybe I could send you some sometime?" Rukia winked suggestively and Toshiro's mind was wiped blank, before she shrugged casually and moved on to answer his previous question like she hadn't just implied something very sexual, "Me and Ichigo are really good friends, so of course we've kissed. It was very awkward, it's a game humans play called 'truth or dare'. Nothing that happens during it is really meant to be taken seriously."

Toshiro didn't have time to retort about the picture thing before Rukia launched into an explanation about Ichigo, but that was okay; he really didn't a retort ready anyway.

Images flooded into his mind of the girls in his magazine, but they weren't strangers anymore; they were all Rukia. He'd never seen her naked but he was imagining it; completely naked, partially naked with some lacy lingerie, bending into all sorts of positions. The thoughts went straight to his groin and he was extremely pleased to have the table blocking her view.

He fought the urge to cross his legs, and replayed over the Ichigo explanation in his head _. So they'd kissed_. It stung in his chest a little when he pictured it; Ichigo was taller, more muscled, and almost the whole SWA thought he was 'a hot babe'. It was hard for Toshiro to accept, especially since Ichigo had become somewhat of a friend.

He saw truth in Rukia's eyes, however; it was a game, and it had meant nothing. He decided to let it go; he didn't want to get upset about something that had happened a long time ago, especially if Rukia didn't appear to have any feelings for the human strawberry.

Instead, he circled back to better thoughts.

"Pictures of yourself?" He tilted his head, allowing his eyes to travel over every visible part of her above the table, "That is something that I would… _encourage_ … for my eyes only, of course."

"Of course your eyes only," Rukia rolled her eyes, a small smirk on her lips, "I guess it depends... on what kind of images you'd like and whether or not I'm getting any in return?"

The young lieutenant placed her elbow on the table and propped her chin onto her knuckles as she leant forward to gage his reaction.

Rukia could have anything she wanted, to be honest. Toshiro was feeling himself well and truly hooked on her line now.

"If you wanted pictures, all you had to do is ask," Toshiro smirked, "I'd be happy to do it for you."

He was actually having a hard time imagining himself taking pictures of his own body. He only knew how girls posed in pictures, any men in the magazine were usually covered somehow. Maybe he was going to have to buy a straight lady's adult magazine or even a gay man's magazine, just to see how it was done.

 _Oh gods_ , he could imagine Rangiku's amusement if she found something like that in his room.

Rukia stood, rounded the table and slipped into his side of the booth. Toshiro swallowed; they were so close. He could smell her snowdrop scent and feel the heat of her body beside him.

She was touching the back of his hand and it felt like she was pressing hot coals into his skin – but in a good way, in a _really good_ way.

"Or... if we were willing to do pictures," Rukia's voice was low and almost sultry, "We could always just... take the pictures in front of each other... without cameras,"

He didn't know if she was just teasing him anymore or if it was a genuine suggestion. The prodigy decided he wanted to know for sure.

His hand flipped quickly, catching her wrist. He didn't grip too tightly; she could pull back if she wanted to. Toshiro let his fingers travel the length of her wrist to her elbow and back again.

He then swapped hands, so that his outside arm was dancing along her smooth skin. His inside arm stretched up and behind her, his hand landing on her outside shoulder. He was giving her the opportunity to lean into him if that's what she wanted, but she could just as easily brush him off if she wasn't ready.

"I think that's a really good idea," he murmured into her ear.

Toshiro leant down and pressed a light kiss to Rukia's shoulder, and then her neck, followed by her jaw. Rukia inhaled sharply, and then the lieutenant seemed to shift her position towards him, her hand now holding onto his bicep. The prodigy realised how close they were, and how turned on the images she'd planted in his head had made him; his eyes flickered to her lips and back up to her eyes, and then suddenly, without any conscious though, he was leaning down again, but this time the target was her lips.

And then someone cleared their throat.

"Excuse me," Toshiro and Rukia jumped apart quickly to see a blushing waiter holding two plates beside their booth, "I, um- I have your lunch?"

The three of them glanced between each other with small embarrassed smiles before the waiter placed their respective meals in front of them and left promptly. Toshiro glanced back down at Rukia and was pleased to see that she wasn't moving back to the other side of the booth, although she was staring down at her salad with resigned acceptance.

He continued to watch, slightly amused, as Rukia began to pick half-heartedly at her salad. She looked like she wanted to completely devour it and perhaps another ten salads, but with something substantial in them, _like meat_ , but she was holding back on him. She was being very noble and very polite, and it just didn't suit her right now.

The prodigy rolled his eyes; why did girls do that? Why was being a big eater something to be ashamed of? He'd lived with Rangiku for decades now, and honestly, Rukia could eat the entire lunch menu and Toshiro wouldn't care, so long as she chewed with her mouth closed – unlike a certain busty blonde lieutenant.

"How's your salad?" He asked, trying to hide the humour in his voice.

"Fine," Rukia murmured.

There it was again – the 'fine' line; 'I'm fine', 'it's fine', 'salad's fine'… Toshiro had never known a word to take on its antonym as its most commonly used meaning. Rukia was glaring at her salad and despite the obvious attempt at trying to appear happy, he could see that she was certainly displeased. Toshiro sighed internally; maybe Rukia just needed to know it was okay to eat properly in front of him. With that in mind, he slid his own plate over to her.

"Have some of mine," it wasn't a question nor a request, but he didn't want to make it sound like an order.

Toshiro watched with a grin as Rukia reached for his plate and quickly ate some of his food, although she didn't take as much as he hoped she would. He liked the idea of sharing his food with Rukia; it signalled friendship, and on some level, _trust_.

"Thanks," She turned back to her salad, looking a tiny bit happier.

The raven haired lieutenant could look even happier though, Toshiro decided, but looking down at his own meal, he knew it wouldn't be enough to feed them both, especially on his breakfast-free stomach.

The same waiter that had brought their food over walked by and Toshiro waved him over.

"Is everything okay, Sir?"

"I would like to get one of everything on the menu, please," Toshiro requested, "But none of the salads, thank you."

"One of-?"

The waiter looked surprised, and Toshiro smiled back pleasantly, nodding his head encouragingly but also allowing his eyes to harden a little to convey the seriousness of the request, and the waiter ran off to the kitchen promptly, looking a little flustered by the giant order for two small-framed 'teenagers'.

Rukia launched herself into Toshiro's arms the moment the waiter had left. Her arms were winding around his neck and she pressed their lips together firmly. Toshiro was taken by surprise; he didn't think that she'd be _that_ appreciative of his gesture, but needless to say, he was enjoying the kiss immensely. He let his arms slid down and around her waist, pulling her close, and their mouths moved together in perfect harmony.

This time when they kissed, he could taste his own food on her tongue and it actually turned him on a little. He wasn't sexist in any way, but he liked the idea of providing for her.

He lifted her a little and brought her into his lap, turning her so that she was sitting side saddle over his legs with her back against the wall. One hand supported her back and the other moved down to her knee and began to slowly run the length of her thigh, dipping very briefly under the hem of her shorts before gliding down again. Their tongues were coming together in a slow but passionate dance and Toshiro eventually had to break away from the kiss, panting a little, before he could get any other ideas.

He was aware of a few disgruntled looks they were getting from other customers, but he didn't care, and neither would restaurant, given how much he was spending today. Still, he kept Rukia beside him, allowing her to adjust herself to a more comfortable position, her head eventually coming to rest on his shoulder.

He turned his head to the side, and pressed a gentle kiss to her forward.

"You don't have to hide who you are from me," he mumbled against her soft skin, "I like a girl who can eat well."

Rukia hummed her agreement and they sat like that, just enjoying each other's company, until their big order of food arrived at the table.

They spread back out to give each other some room before tucking into the several plates crowding their table. The food was rather good, in Toshiro's opinion, and because he'd only ordered one of each meal, he and Rukia were sharing all the plates so they could try a bit of everything. Eventually, they picked back up their conversation, sliding – once again – into effortless banter.

"So tell me," Rukia drawled, "What does the great Captain Hitsugaya do for fun?"

Toshiro paused over his food and let his mouth twist into a menacing smirk, "My favourite past time is finding Rangiku's various sake stashes around the division…Just as she goes to pour herself a cup, I freeze and shatter her whole supply…"

He did a terrible job at stifling a chuckle; the image of Rangiku's horrified face branded in his mind. To be fair, if she wanted to keep her sake, she was better off hiding it outside of his workspace.

"What about you?" He asked, turning to the young lieutenant, "What does a noble woman do for fun?"

Rukia laughed at his story, and Toshiro grinned; he liked making her laugh. Apparently, she had figured he would answer with activities such as reading or 'something else that old men do', and that had the prodigy smirking a little; it was true that he loved reading, but he was certainly no old man – in fact, he got up to plenty of mischief when nobody was looking. It was a lot of fun for him, especially since no one would ever expect the uptight/goody-two-shoes/innocent-boy captain.

"Mine, apart from hanging out with Renji and going to visit Ichigo and Orihime. I enjoy reading, I often enjoy going out and training my division personally when I have the time too. It takes my mind off of things," She informed him of her hobbies, pausing to eat some more, "Do you have any guilty pleasures I should know about... you know... besides the pictures of women?"

The ebony haired lieutenant's mouth twisted into a smirk and her eyes glinted cheekily.

Toshiro's face heated a bit; _why does everyone have to bring up that damn magazine?!_ He looked away for a second, trying to appear thoughtful, although he was really just waiting for the pink in his cheeks to disappear before he continued.

"Sometimes I like to ice over the grass at Squad Eleven…" He supplied eventually, mouth twitching back to the grin Rukia brought out in him, "They keep slipping over but none of them are smart enough to realise I'm doing it."

It was hilarious to him; he loved walking by the fence, peering over and using his powers to grow frost on the grounds. The shocked and disgruntled yelps heard over the fence brought a guilty smile to his face. It wasn't his fault everyone over there was so dumb.

Rukia was still giggling madly; she was obviously trying to stop herself before taking a sip of her drink but she only laughed more and more.

"That's brilliant, I have to come and watch that sometime," the violet eyed lieutenant grinned, "Any others I should be aware of?"

"You should definitely come with me one day, it's a great stress relief," Toshiro smiled a little, "As for others… well, when I can be bothered with the walk, I have a great deal of fun with Squad Twelve…"

He tilted his head a little, eyeing his date mischievously; it was time to turn the tables a little, "What about your guilty pleasures? Still reading sex education books?"

The young Kuchiki choked on her drink a little, but made a very quick recovery. Toshiro was impressed; it seemed they were getting passed their embarrassment stage now.

"Yes actually, they're fairly informative," Rukia told him, her voice matter-of-fact, but she wasn't making any eye contact, "Did you know only Noble women can get pregnant and to do so they need to start a round of drugs prescribed from Squad four? I learned a lot. Including what the frenulum was and how sensitive it is…"

Toshiro's magazine was very educational about sex, so he knew all about the frenulum actually. He also knew about the fertility drugs, although he had never cared about it before, given that he wasn't noble and he hadn't actually pictured himself getting married to one. Rukia was noble, however, so of course she'd be interested. A flash of last week's dream reminded him that perhaps it was one day an option…

Rukia turned back to him, her eyes darting over his face, "Other than reading _educational_ books, I have been known to just simply freeze people on the spot that piss me off and blame it on you. But enough about all that, what on earth do you do at division 12?

It was said so quickly, Toshiro almost missed it – WAIT.

The prodigy's jaw dropped and his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"You freeze people and blame it on me? Is that why your brother automatically assumed I'd frozen Abarai?" Toshiro asked, half indignant, half entertained – _suddenly a lot of things made sense_ – leaning back comfortably, an amused smile on his face, he drawled, "Rukia, Rukia… I didn't know the young Kuchiki princess was such a bad ass…"

"And I didn't know you could swear. Aren't you a bit young to be using language like that?" She retorted instantly, "But seriously, what on earth have you been doing in Division Twelve?"

"I'm not that young," Toshiro pouted playfully, shoving her arm lightly, "And I've heard you swear, Princess, you didn't sound so noble then… As for the Twelfth, let's just say that some of their experiments have produced some… _interesting_ results due to my meddling. Perhaps you'll have to come find out what I mean one day? After we've frozen Squad Eleven's grounds, of course."

The young genius winked at her playfully, and Rukia grinned almost evilly.

"You're the fucking devil," She chuckled, "I'd love too."

…

"Where are we going now?" Rukia asked him as they left the restaurant, walking hand in hand.

"You'll see," He told her, "Just a brief visit to one of my favourite places in Karakura before we head back to the Soul Society for the bankai demonstration."

They walked on as the afternoon sun slowly began to descend towards the horizon; Toshiro was very pleased with their timings so far – he had a bit of a schedule in his mind and they were sticking to it very well. He was glad he'd allowed for extra leeway time because the restaurant took much longer than anticipated, given that they'd ordered everything off the lunch menu and then followed it up with one of every dessert as well.

"How much farther?" the young lieutenant complained, slowing her pace considerably as they passed the park where Karin Kurosaki and her friends often played soccer.

"Not long now."

"Carry me," She whined after another few minutes, "I can't walk anymore."

Toshiro glanced back at her, an amused eyebrow raised, "What happened to not being a damsel in distress?"

"You said there was nothing wrong with being helped in battle," Rukia pouted, two violet eyes boring into him, playfully pleading.

"You're not in battle," Toshiro pointed out.

"I might as well be," the raven haired girl muttered, causing the prodigy to chuckle softly, "Especially if you think I'm actually going to walk up that hill."

She gestured ahead of them to the rather steep looking hill in the distance. The prodigy smiled at the sight; that was exactly where they were going. He glanced back at his date who was eyeing the hill with distaste, the idea of walking up it obviously not ideal given her state.

He sighed and turned his back to her, "Alright, climb on."

"Really?"

He could practically hear the glee in her voice and nodded. The noble woman hissed a cheer before climbing onto his back enthusiastically, her apparent lethargy forgotten for a moment. Toshiro really didn't mind though; he was more than happy to carry her because it was a good excuse to touch her and be close with her. Her front was pressed against his back and her arms hugged the top of his chest over his shoulders, but his absolute favourite bit was the fact that he got to support her body by holding the underside of her bare thighs. Her legs were cool like her lips and her hands, and her skin felt like silk; soft and smooth. She weighed nothing and after all the lifting he'd done during their skating session, this piggy back was by far the easiest.

They set off towards the hill; Rukia's head found his shoulder where she stayed mostly quiet, seemingly very comfortable in her new position.

"Toshiro?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for lunch."

The white haired captain chuckled again, remembering how delighted she'd been when he'd placed the giant order.

"You're welcome."

The pretty lieutenant pressed a light kiss to the side of Toshiro's neck and he unconsciously tilted his head away to give her better access, encouraging her to continue, which she did, until-

"Rukia?" a voice called out to them, "Toshiro?"

The prodigy turned, feeling Rukia shift on his back, to see Ichigo Kurosaki standing at a bus stop across the road, eyebrows raised and a look of utter shock on his face. The orange haired substitute soul reaper quickly glanced both directions and then ran across the road to meet them. Toshiro hastily allowed the young Kuchiki climb off his back. He figured she'd probably want to keep Ichigo in the dark about their relationship while it was still so new, and he was preparing himself for whatever good excuse she could come up with to explain their presence in the human world, the piggy back and the fact that she was just kissing his neck, but apparently lying was not on her mind, as her hand came down to hold his once more, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Hey Ichigo," Rukia greeted her friend brightly.

"Hey," the strawberry drawled as he reached them, his eyes flickering to their linked hands and back up again, mouth twitching into a smirk.

It was hard to view Ichigo the same now that Toshiro knew that he'd kissed Rukia, but he pushed down any jealous feelings; Rukia was with _him_ , she was holding hands with _him_ and she'd just been kissing _his_ neck.

"What are you doing here?" the lieutenant asked casually.

"I live here, Midget," Ichigo teased, "What are you doing here?"

Rukia grinned, ducking under Toshiro's arm and attaching herself to his side. The prodigy kept his face neutral, but he was surprised at how open she was being in front of their human friend.

"We're on a date actually."

"A date?" Ichigo beamed, flicking a finger between the two soul reapers, "When did this happen?"

It was weird; Toshiro wasn't expecting Ichigo to seem so happy for them. He hadn't been expecting a bad reaction by any means, but he was glad to see that there were indeed no lingering feelings between him and Rukia.

"The SWA locked us in a chamber," Rukia chuckled, "Long story short, we kissed and now we're on a date."

Ichigo laughed, "Come on, I need more details than that!"

"You're as bad as Matsumoto, Kurosaki," Toshiro commented dryly, allowing his arm to slide around Rukia's waist and pull her a little closer.

"I'm just curious," Ichigo grinned, "How did the SWA even manage to trap you two like that?"

Suddenly, neither Rukia nor Toshiro had an answer. The ebony haired lieutenant had opened her mouth to speak automatically before pausing and promptly snapping her jaw shut again. It seemed neither of them wanted to admit they'd fallen for the trick because they had believed Ichigo was in trouble and needed their help.

"I mean, you guys are both pretty smart and wary of the SWA," Ichigo continued, frowning a little as he glanced between them suspiciously, "I'm surprised they were able to pull a stunt like that…"

"We, um-" Rukia looked up at Toshiro as if answering him and not the teenager in front of them, "We were actually told that we needed to help out a, uhh… _an acquaintance_ of ours that was in some serious trouble…"

Ichigo's frown deepened, "But you two aren't even in the same squad, why would you both go help?"

They didn't answer, staring at their feet and shifting uncomfortably on the spot.

"And who was the acquaintance?" Ichigo continued over the awkward silence, "Must have been someone important for you both to give up your time, I know you've both been crazy busy since the war…"

Again, the icy couple stayed quiet.

"So was it a friend then?" the suddenly very perceptive strawberry cocked his head to the side, "And how many mutual friends do you have? I mean, you guys haven't really spent all that much time together in the past, and I'm probably the only person you both- Wait!"

Toshiro felt his cheeks heat a little; he'd never expressed how much his friendship with Ichigo had meant to him – which was a lot, especially since he'd been so good to him during and after the Kusaka incident – and he'd been hoping he'd never have to.

"Oh, I see," Ichigo was grinning like a mad man, "You two thought it was me and you rushed to save me, too worried to realise it was a trap."

"That's not true!" the ice wielders exclaimed together.

Not even Rukia was admitting what had happened and she was supposed to be good friends with the half human/half soul reaper, but apparently teasing was one thing, admitting real feelings – friendship or otherwise – was another. Well, Toshiro could relate to that, anyway; he was the king of keeping his feelings secret.

"Aw, you guys," Ichigo was beaming at them again, "I'm flattered, I didn't know you cared so much! Especially you, Tosh."

"It's Captain Hitsugaya to you," Toshiro grumbled back, a little too embarrassed to add any real bite to it, which ultimately resulted in the strawberry erupting in loud laughter, and Rukia even grinned a little.

"Oh Toshiro," Ichigo chuckled, clearly ignoring the order, "I think we're passed that now."

The prodigy frowned deeply as the strawberry continued to over-exaggerate his delight. It didn't take long for Rukia to punch Ichigo's face and send him flying backwards. It brought a smirk to Toshiro's lips; he had a new guilty pleasure – watching Rukia smack around her obnoxious guy friends.

"Let's go," Rukia grinned at the substitute who was lying dazed but otherwise still insufferably happy on the sidewalk.

Without waiting for a response, the young noble woman was again climbing onto his back, and Toshiro's arms moved automatically to hold her. With one glance back at Ichigo – who had pulled himself to his feet laughing, and waved dumbly at them – the prodigy turned and continued towards the hill.

They made it up to the top of the hill at the perfect time – the sun was dancing on the horizon, turning the sky to the most vivid shades of orange and pink. He placed Rukia back on her feet and moved silently around to lean against the barrier, looking out over the town of Karakura.

"It's beautiful," Rukia murmured, sliding beside him, "All the time I've spent in Karakura and I never noticed this view."

"I came here a lot during our mission against the arrancars," Toshiro told her softly and gave a half shrug, "It reminds me of my Granny's place in Junrinan."

He could feel Rukia's gaze on him but she stayed quiet and soon Toshiro felt her arms wrap around his torso. He returned the gesture and breathed a contented sigh as her head once again landed on his shoulder. It was a nice hug; close, warm, comforting… It was almost a more intimate act than kissing; people kissed other people without it meaning anything all the time, but rarely ever does someone hug someone like this without a serious bond or connection.

They stayed hugging for a long time and Toshiro cherished every minute of it; eventually the sun hid beyond the horizon and the sky lost its beautiful bright colours.

"We'll have to leave soon if we want to make the demonstration," Rukia murmured against him.

"Probably…" Toshiro didn't want to go anymore; he was more than happy to stay like this with the young lieutenant for the rest of his life.

"Come on," Rukia groaned a little as if she didn't want to go either, "We made a commitment, and I want to see if the rumours are true about your bankai."

"What rumours?" the prodigy asked indignantly; if this was about the SWA and/or Rangiku Matsumoto again, he was going to-

"They've dubbed it 'HOTsugaya'," Rukia's mouth twitched into a grin.

"Hotsu-" He choked before clenching his teeth; this had Rangiku's name all over it, _"Matsumoto…"_

Rukia laughed, nodding knowingly and reached out a hand for him to take in order to follow her. He frowned; now he really didn't want to go – the last thing he needed was a whole school of students gossiping about his bankai, and what if Rangiku had the SWA hiding in trees ready to take photographs of him or something. Nope, that was it; he wasn't going.

The raven haired beauty watched him, her mouth twitching up in a very mischievous grin.

"Oh, Toshiro," Her voice lowered into a seriously sexy tone, "I was really hoping you'd come with me though…"

She stepped closer to him, crossing her arms underneath her chest and pushing her boobs together slightly, bottom lip pouting very adorably. Toshiro grinned; was she trying to get him to follow her by doing this? Well, if she was happy to put on a show, he was happy to watch it…

"Boobs won't work on me, Rukia," Toshiro smirked, "Have you met my lieutenant?"

The noble's sexy pout didn't falter but her tactics changed immediately. She pulled a ring off her finger a dropped it over her shoulder casually, before turning to look at the fallen ring with a mock horror.

"Oh no, I've dropped my ring…" she drawled, turning around and glancing over her shoulder almost knowingly, "I guess I should pick it up…"

The prodigy's mouth parted slightly as Rukia bent over to pick up the ring, much slower than necessary and barely bending her knees. She was flexible and it gave Toshiro the most incredible view of her tightly toned ass and thighs, the snug little shorts not leaving a whole lot to the imagination. He shifted his position uncomfortably as he pants grew that bit tighter; he desperately wanted to reach out and grab a handful of her butt. It was right there and so damn tempting; _fuck, did Rukia even know the effect it was having on him?_

 _Yes, apparently,_ if her satisfied expression was anything to go on.

She straightened up, slipped on her ring and fixed him with a pointed look over her should.

"Are you coming?"

She didn't wait for an answer, walking off immediately as Toshiro stood dumbstruck and extremely turned on. A few beats passed before he scrambled to catch up, following the ice princess like a lost puppy.

 _Yep, he was really on her hook now._

…

Toshiro approached the academy gates quickly but calmly, cutting it very close to the demonstration time. He spotted Rukia waiting for him, back in her uniform and looking rather anxious.

"You nervous?" He smirked as he approached the girl, eyes wandering over her figure; the uniform didn't do her body justice and seriously missed the tight little shorts.

"No," She tried to look angry; glaring and crossing her arms over her chest, "Just worried you'd be late."

Toshiro stopped in front of her and grinned; he loved her smile, but sometimes her annoyed scowl was just as sexy, especially since he knew she wasn't really mad at him.

"You're forgetting who my lieutenant is, you're lucky I made it out of my office with a shred of dignity left," Toshiro muttered, straightening his haori and continuing forward towards the open gates, "Are you coming, Kuchiki?"

It was true; for once in her afterlife, Rangiku had spent a whole Saturday in the office without having been forced to stay there. It took the genius less than a second to work out why as she jumped him the moment he walked in the door – literally, she jumped on him and they fell to the floor. The busty blonde had pinned him to the ground in an instant, demanding to know every single detail of the date and refused to get off him until he'd shared.

Toshiro couldn't help but grin – despite being accosted by his second in command – as he relayed the details of the day. He told her about the skating, the intense kiss, the restaurant, the second big kiss, running into Ichigo, carrying Rukia up the hill and the sunset they'd shared together. He'd neglected to mention Rukia's sexual bending over – Rangiku didn't know about his ass-preference and he really didn't need her to. The strawberry blonde had almost cried with happiness, gushing about what a romantic soul he had and how she'd 'taught him well'.

Just thinking about the date again caused his heart to flutter and that's when Toshiro noticed Rukia was not as close behind him as he thought. He glanced over his shoulder and saw her staring at him rather curiously.

"Rukia?" He called her; an amused smile erupting on his face, "Did I freeze you?"

She rolled her eyes dramatically and moved to catch up with him, "Coming Mr Grump."

"What happened to Captain?" He smirked.

"What happened to Toshiro?" She grinned back, before pausing and frowning a little, "I know the others don't know about us… Alright _Captain,_ we're going to be late."

The white haired captain mirrored her frown. Rangiku had always told him that a secret relationship was 'hot' because the sneaking around made things 'sexier', but Toshiro had to disagree. He'd rather people knew – he wanted them all to know that he was with the most beautiful woman in the Seireitei. He was probably going to have to discuss it with Rukia soon, because he didn't think he'd be able to hide it for very long.

He also didn't think _Rangiku_ would be able to hide it for very long.

"A captain is never late," Toshiro murmured, "Everyone else is simply early."

Nevertheless he sped up anyway, Rukia two paces behind him. The entered the academy grounds and Toshiro endured a number of mental flashbacks from his time here. He had hated it, to be honest, and he'd been far too young; he'd missed Granny, he'd been lonely, no one had wanted to be his friend… until Kusaka that is, but then he had died – _having been executed_ – not long after they'd become friends. Overall, not a great experience.

One of the head trainers greeted them and ushered them through the campus.

"Are you making sure we have enough room for this demonstration?" He asked the trainer, "We'd hate to freeze your students because they were too close."

Well, _actually_ , the idea was making him smirk internally but he didn't think he'd be able to get away with it like he did with the Squad Eleven barbarians. Also, Rukia wouldn't be able to blame him if she accidently froze any of the students.

"Don't worry, we will be doing this out in the training grounds at the back of the academy," the trainer informed them.

Toshiro sighed internally; sometimes people seriously underestimated the power of a bankai, especially an elemental one like his and Rukia's.

He glanced over his shoulder at the girl, hoping to express to her the importance of them needing to rein in as much of their power as possible as to not harm any of the students. Rukia looked apprehensive but immediately nodded her silent understanding.

The trainer asked which of them would be going first and Rukia put her hand up – _figuratively_ – first.

"If it's alright with Captain Hitsugaya, I'd like to go first," the raven haired girl glanced at him, asking permission, "It takes me slightly longer to come back out of my bankai form than most."

The prodigy nodded, trying to keep his enthusiasm as low key as possible. He was so excited to see Rukia's transformation; firstly, because she was another ice type with a bankai and there was no way he couldn't be curious to compare it with his own, and secondly, because it was widely known that she had the most beautiful zanpakuto in the Soul Society, so he was certain her bankai would be even more gorgeous.

"That is fine with me, Lieutenant," He grinned a little, hoping the trainer wouldn't notice the almost flirty tinge to his voice, "Ladies first."

They entered the grounds and Toshiro immediately scoped out the defence system; kido barrier – strong. Not strong enough against a bankai, though, but he and Rukia would be holding back their power as much as possible so it should hold through the demonstration.

"Excellent, you've set up precautionary measures," Toshiro nodded; satisfied with the effort the trainers had gone to since he'd been expecting much less.

Rukia stood beside him as they watched the last of the students filing into their seats and chatting excitedly about seeing a bankai – two, in fact – in action; it was very rare for a student to get to see such a sight.

The young genius felt Rukia's pressure growing anxiously around her and he subtly reached out with his own to try and sooth her concerns. She was highly trained and she could hold back the power of bankai – she would not hurt anyone. Eventually the sounds of the students died down as they stared at the two soul reapers in front of them. The trainer nodded for them to start and Rukia stepped forward, pulling Sode no Skirayuki from her sheath.

"Bankai, hakka no togame."

A beam of ice immediately surrounded the lieutenant, extending up to the skies.

And then it got cold. _Really fucking cold._

Toshiro grinned; he loved the cold. He watched as frost spread across the ground, hitting the barrier and even freezing the bottom of it a little bit. He could feel her pulling her power back and the barrier managed to stay intact. The Squad Ten captain could gage the temperature easily with his control over the weather and knew that they were at absolute zero now. If he wasn't Hyorinmaru's wielder, he'd be in a lot of trouble.

He glanced back up at Rukia and his jaw dropped instantly; she was now visible between multiple tall ice pillars. She was white all over; her skin, her dress and _her hair._ Her once midnight black hair was now even whiter than Toshiro's own and he couldn't help but stare at her. She looked like the older version of their daughter – the one Toshiro had dreamt about. Seeing Rukia like that was the first time Toshiro had ever seen a woman with white hair, and for once, the idea seemed beautiful to him. He'd hated his own for so long but seeing Rukia with it made him question everything; she was radiant and beautiful – stunning beyond all measure.

White ribbons billowed around her white kimono, a crown of ice sat around her head like it had always been there and her skin was much more pale than normal. She looked like a doll; a fragile ice doll that could shatter at any second, and Toshiro wanted to run forward and hold her so nobody could break her. Even her blade was now made purely of ice. He could feel her strength though, and knew that it was all an appearance; she would not be brought down easily. He was curious to know what her actual abilities were in this form, but now wasn't the time for a power show.

When Rukia breathed, a cloud of frozen moisture escaped her lips.

She was, without a doubt, the single most gorgeous being to ever exist… and she was Toshiro's girlfriend.

 _Well,_ he probably couldn't say'girlfriend' just yet, _but maybe soon…_

"Lieutenant, can you describe the changes to yourself during your bankai?" a trainer called from the other side of the barrier.

"The first time I achieved it, it was so difficult," Rukia explained, "The temperature drops to absolute zero in my body to allow me to cope with the cold, however it does mean if I try to come out of bankai too fast that I could shatter as easily as ice."

Toshiro was still too busy staring at the astoundingly beautiful form in front him that he didn't have time to ponder her words before she was glancing back at him. He had no idea how his face looked right now; part of him was trying to stay professional but the rest of his mind had gone into overdrive, trying to take in as much detail as possible and retain it in his long term memory. He wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life.

She moved suddenly, appearing at his side in the blink of an eye, and he had to turn to continue to stare at her now that she was up close. Her skin was paler but her eyes were still the vivid violet they'd always been. White haired now framed her face instead of black and it took all his restraint not to kiss her now that she was in range.

"Captain, may you show the students your bankai transformation?"

"I-" _want to kiss Rukia_ , he thought, staring at the woman's lips. He shook the thought quickly and promptly turned towards the trainer, "I have two; the first is minor and doesn't change my overall appearance but I will show you both."

He walked forward, stepping into the middle of the field between Rukia's ice pillars, and pulled Hyorinmaru from his sheath.

"Bankai, Daiguren Hyorinmaru."

The all too familiar feel of his spiritual pressure gathering around him and erupting from his back in the form of ice wings caused the dragon inside him to roar, stretching his own wings in the prodigy's mind. Now wasn't the time for power though, so Toshiro reined it in as much as possible. His icy wings uncurled from around his body and he let them pull him into the air, floating casually above the ground.

He gestured to the three ice flowers behind him; the old timer of his power.

"When the final petal crumbles, Daiguren Hyorinmaru will have reached full maturity along with myself," He smirked a little, "However, as his master, I have the ability to speed up this process."

It had taken months of training following the Quincy war, but he and Hyorinmaru had strived to cut out the time limit, and now he could activate the second part of his bankai whenever he needed to. Endurance was still an issue, however; he couldn't hold it for too long. It was the new aim of his training regime.

Toshiro used his blade to slash at the petals, crumbling them effortlessly, and suddenly his power spiked once more, this time much more powerful. He could physically feel himself growing taller as his feet hit the ground once more, his skin tightening and bones stretching. It had been painful the first time and was still a very odd feeling; _he wasn't a huge fan of his adult self, after all._

Glancing back up, he saw the stands of students staring at him open mouthed. The captain glanced down at his body; it was strange seeing himself with long legs and thigh-high ice boots. It did give him a rather hot mental image of Rukia wearing thigh-high ice boots and not much else, but he blinked it away quickly – _he did not need that now._

His haori now hung like a regular jacket, stopping mid-thigh instead of mid-calf and it was tight across his back; he needed to work out some sort of system where his clothes grew as he did. Thankfully the rest of his uniform was lose and not an issue, the boots covering the difference in leg-length and the sleeves now sitting in the crook of his elbow.

Hyorinmaru roared again and Toshiro's eyes widened as he felt his spiritual pressure crackling excitedly without his conscious permission. He turned to Rukia when he felt hers explode too and their pressures combined between them, almost pulling them together like a magnetic force. The barrier shattered behind them and the students were being rushed out of the stands and into the nearest buildings.

Before he even knew it, Toshiro was walking towards the lieutenant; he was being pulled and he was letting it happen, more than happy to comply. It was something raw and desperate inside him that wanted to go to her; that wanted her for himself, completely and irrevocably. He moved on instinct, blocking out anything happening around him that wasn't the beautiful woman across the training ground.

Rukia was striding purposefully towards him too, her hair darkening and her white kimono transferring into standard Soul Reaper robes. Toshiro could feel his own form returning to normal as his ice armour fell apart and his height receded.

He reached her and she took his outstretched hand without saying a single thing. He let her lead them out of the grounds quickly, a determined and rather lustful expression on her face. The Squad Ten Captain didn't care who saw and didn't bother to check if anyone was watching them as a lieutenant dragged a captain – who was not her own – through the Seireitei by his hand. Desire was clouding his mind and he wanted to be inside a room with Rukia quick, because he needed her now. He needed to feel every single part of her.

…

Eventually they had swapped roles, and Toshiro took the lead, steering her through the Seireitei towards his division. Rukia followed without question and soon the Tenth Division flag came into view. It would have been faster to flash step now that he thought of it; his mind had been so clouded with lust and longing to hold that sexy body in his arms that he hadn't even considered it. It was too late now though; they were already walking through the Squad Ten gates. He led her through the division, ignoring the odd looks he was getting from the few of his soldiers that were on duty over the weekend – almost everyone else would be out, enjoying their days off.

The prodigy reached his living quarters quickly, glad that it was located away from the rest of the barracks. He opened the door and stepped aside to let Rukia walk in first. As she walked under the threshold of the door, Toshiro was suddenly hit with realisation; they were about to have sex. He had to pause in the doorway for a second; he'd never had sex before… what if he did it wrong? What if he was terrible at it? Or worse, what if he hurt Rukia in the process? He'd heard it could be painful for the woman if she wasn't prepared properly.

His eyes landed on Rukia as she gazed over his quarters and his heart skipped in his chest; _gods, he wanted her._

He entered the room and closed the door firmly behind him as Rukia turned to face him. She looked as nervous as he felt. He wanted to calm her – to calm them both – so he took a deep breath and walked towards her. He cupped her cheek gently, allowing his thumb to run over the silky smooth skin briefly before he guided their lips together.

The zanpakutos seemed to rejoice as he kissed her, their spiritual pressures filling the air with electricity. Rukia's arms came around his neck and she pulled them closer, heating up the kiss. She seemed to want it as badly as he did, and he let her know, removing his hand from her cheek and wrapping it around her waist to hold her securely against his body. He opened his lips up and she copied him, tongues invading each other's mouths. His hands slid over her perfectly tight ass and squeezed; the feeling alone would have gone straight to his groin but coupled with the moan Rukia emitted…. He was thankful for the loose pants, that was for sure.

As the spiritual pressure around them seemed to tighten and become almost constricting, Toshiro felt his self-control slipping. He let his hands wander lower before eventually hoisting the small lieutenant up into his arms, her legs hooking around his waist. They were really going to do this. He was still so nervous, and Rukia must have been as well; he was sure she was a virgin too – why else would she read sexual education books?

They pulled back from the kiss, gasping for air. The captain looked over her; she was smaller, smaller than even him. He really didn't want to hurt her. She did seem to really want it though, if her dark eyes, flushed cheeks and bruised lips were any indication.

"Are you sure?" He asked, teal locking with violet.

"Absolutely."

Toshiro barely had time to register the words before her lips were on his again and her tongue was diving down his throat. Automatically his legs began to move, navigating their way to the bedroom. The door had been left open from when he'd left that morning, and soon he was standing by the edge of his bed, slowly lowering Rukia onto the mattress.

He was doing his best to be gentle; _Rukia was special, after all._ The noblewoman seemed not to have the same idea in mind, and Toshiro felt her pulling his haori over his shoulders and down his body. It was a sexy thought to have a woman desperately trying to undress him; he gave in a little, pressing harder into the kiss and letting his own tongue wander into her mouth. She pulled him even closer, her arms wrapping around his neck. The prodigy couldn't help but groan as her leg brushed against his clothed member.

They both broke apart quickly, firstly to remove their zanpakutos and secondly to regain their breaths. As soon as they reconnected again, Toshiro felt Rukia's hands fiddling with his obi. He continued to kiss her; if he stopped to think about it, he might get nervous again. The tie unravelled sliding off onto the floor and immediately the raven haired woman's hands were pulling apart his shihakusho, her hands on his bare back. Toshiro was feeling very hot, but it had nothing to do with the temperature around him; he shrugged a little, not breaking the kiss, and allowing both his kosode and his hakama pants to slide down his body and pool at his feet, baring himself completely to the young Kuchiki.

His eyes followed her as she broke from the kiss to look at his naked body. Her intense violet irises skimmed over his scars and his abs – which he had been training very hard to strengthen this week – and then down to his half hard member. It might have been a rather uncomfortable experience if she hadn't been staring at him through dark desire-filled eyes, her mouth slightly parted.

He hissed when she reached out to touch his member, her finger running along the length of it. Her eyes rose to meet his and she smiled softly. He wondered if she knew what to do now, and after a few moments he decided to take the lead a little. He wrapped his hand around hers and guided her through stroking him. He had to hold back moans as she moved with him and his member grew hot and hard.

"Definitely not a _little_ boy," Rukia grinned as they made eye contact again.

Toshiro chuckled and pulled her into his lap; if she was nervous, she was covering it up exceptionally well, but he didn't want her to hide anything from him and he didn't want her to be anxious either. His own nerves had almost vanished completely from the moment she touched him; this was meant to happen, they were meant to be together and the surging spiritual pressures between them was proof – they could never have a stronger connection with somebody else.

He kissed her neck to try and convey how he would always protect her, and just how much he wanted her right now. She could probably tell without the kisses though, since his rock hard arousal was poking into her thigh. The prodigy allowed his arms wrap around her waist and pull her closer as his hands explored her shape. Gradually her body relaxed into him and Toshiro smiled against her throat. His lips continued to press against her porcelain skin and his tongue joined the fun soon after; at one point, a deep groan left Rukia's mouth and Toshiro paused over the newly found sensitive spot. Experimentally, he sucked softly at the soft skin and instantly had to grunt back a loud moan of his own as the lieutenant began to grind her hips down on his thigh.

 _He needed her now_ ; he needed to be inside her and feel her heat surrounding him.

Hands moved automatically to her obi before he paused once again. He was first and foremost a gentleman and despite how horny Rukia had made him, he needed to uphold his values and check that she wanted him to undress her.

Pulling back to ask her consent, the question on his tongue was silenced by her mouth on his. It seemed that she did, in fact, want him to take her clothes off. This was especially apparent as she once again began to grind against him, her fingers in his hair, and Toshiro heard himself choke on a gasp.

With her permission, Toshiro wasted no time in returning to the obi knot and he pulled it apart quickly before ripping open her kosode. He wanted to know what was hiding under that loose shihakusho, and pulled back from the kiss to investigate. His eyes skimmed over Rukia as she shed her uniform completely. She was _literally perfect_ ; her breasts were small and nipples pert, her stomach was flat but her hips provided gorgeous curves, her legs were toned and her ass was phenomenal – way better than any magazine could ever show him. She had scars to match his own but they were prettier, and unique, almost like _snowflakes._

He pulled her back into his lap, arms wrapping around her waist. Once again, their eyes met.

"You're so beautiful," Toshiro murmured, "And so perfect."

Toshiro kept his eyes on her as his hands started to wander. He wanted to see her reactions and know what felt good for her. Fingers moved over her chest, and then he moved to cupping her breasts. They were the perfect size in his hand and the skin was extra smooth there. Using his thumb, he stroked the nipples softly, and grinned as the raven haired beauty moan in response, her head falling back a little. She picked up her grinding again as he continued his administrations, one hand now working its way down her body to her incredible ass and he squeezed it; in his hand, the woman's backside was even more amazing – absolutely impeccable.

They reconnected the kiss once more as things heated up. Their spiritual pressures were almost crushing them together now, and Toshiro needed a release.

One hand pushed Rukia back slowly and the other held her back to ensure she had a gentle landing. He didn't want his lips to leave hers so he followed her down, his body hovering just above her. They were so incredibly close now, but he would be damned if he was going to put her through any pain. He pulled a hand back and down to her legs as she broke the kiss to breathe. He held her gaze as he pressed two fingers to her wet entrance. She used her actions to show her agreement, closing her eyes and spreading her legs for him. It was an incredibly hot image and Toshiro saved it in his memory before he began to push in.

"T-Toshiro,"

The groan was music to his ears and the sight of Rukia's body arching off the mattress went straight to his groin which was now painfully stiff. He concentrated on the woman beneath him however, and began to pump in and out, allowing her body to get used to the penetration before something bigger came along. Her inner walls were constricting around him and he couldn't wait to feel them around his cock.

"P-please…" Rukia gasped.

The prodigy halted his actions immediately; he was pretty sure he knew what she was asking with that desperate tone. Her eyes were open once again and boring into him.

"Are you sure?" He asked her, his voice a lot huskier than normal.

"Yes, please, god, I want to feel you so badly," She groaned in response.

Those words were possibly the hottest words ever said and Toshiro swallowed.

 _This was it._

He climbed back over her and guided his member to her entrance; her arms were around his neck and pulling him closer. He took a steading breath and began to push inside. The effect was immediate; icy spiritual pressure practically exploded and the captain could feel his power mingling with Rukia's, just as their bodies were physically becoming one. _It was meant to be._ Toshiro pushed all the way in – _slowly, of course_ , he wasn't going to hurt Rukia – and soon enough he was buried to the hilt inside the ice princess.

Her walls were so tight around him; it was honestly taking all his concentration to not release early. He let out a relieved breath now that he was finally inside the woman of his dreams, but this time it came out a lot shakier. He leaned down to kiss Rukia again; it was needy and sloppy but he didn't care. _He was having sex with Rukia Kuchiki!_

Starting to move in short, shallow thrusts, Toshiro relished the feeling of his length dragging in and out of the ebony haired woman's heat. The lieutenant's hands were on his back but slid down to grab his ass – apparently displeased with the slowness – and she pulled him closer, forcing him even deeper insider her. Grunting back a moan and able to take a hint, Toshiro picked up the pace of his strokes and lengthened them out so he was thrusting deeply before pulling almost all the way out and slamming back in again.

Rukia's nails were digging into his back and the prodigy's lips returned to her neck, nipping and sucking.

"T-Toshiro, gods," Rukia groaned again, her voice sending him closer to orgasm.

"R-Rukia," Toshiro gasped, his release coming closer and closer, "I-I'm going to…"

He didn't want to come inside her if she wasn't ready for that, even though the pregnancy issue most human's had wasn't a concern for them.

"I want t-to feel you c-come," Rukia panted and Toshiro moaned; correction – _they_ were the hottest words ever said.

The captain wanted the woman below him to orgasm as did, so her changed their angle, lifting her hips up off the mattress in order to plunge deeper again inside the hot cavern. Rukia's body responded as her spine arched off the bed. He held her up with one arm as he leaned back over her and dipped down to reach her delicious neck once more.

"F-fuck, T-Toshiro," Rukia moaned loudly, her body writhing uncontrollably and her walls clamping tightly around his shaft.

Toshiro choked a little as she came undone around him, her back arching once more. He couldn't help but bite her shoulder as he unravelled and came with one last powerful thrust. He felt his seed shooting out of his body and into hers, white light blinding his vision momentarily. Toshiro shuddered as pleasure racked his body.

He pulled out and rolled over, allowing them both to recover their breathing. The prodigy had come by his own hand before, but it was nowhere near as amazing as it felt inside a woman, especially Rukia. Speaking of the pretty lieutenant, Toshiro already missed her warmth, and reached out to pull her close to him. She rolled over and curled up beside him as if they'd done it a million times. It felt so natural. Even their zanpakuto's agreed, the once almost suffocating pressure now at a peaceful and relaxing level.

"T-that was…" Toshiro panted but he couldn't quell the grin, "So amazing."

"You're amazing," Rukia murmured tiredly.

"What was that?" Toshiro smirked, "I did not quite hear that."

"You heard me perfectly," was the grunted response and Toshiro chuckled.

The young genius let his hands explore her body some more and it wasn't long until he found her ass again without even thinking about it. Muscle memory perhaps, or just an intense unconscious desire to hold it and never let it go.

"You've literally got the perfect ass," Toshiro commented, his thumb stroking the skin gently.

"Maybe next time, if you're good, I'll let you take me from behind."

"Is it too early to say that I love you?"

Toshiro got a flick on the nose for that remark and he chuckled again, grinning and dipping down to kiss her once more. This time it was slow and deliberate, his arms holding her waist tenderly. He wanted her to know that she was precious to him, and that no matter what, he'd always hold this memory close to his heart.

Rukia's head settled back down on his chest, and Toshiro's hands continued to stroke her skin idly. He could feel his eyes beginning to droop and the lieutenant's breathing evened out and deepened. The captain let one of his hands land on his favourite part of her body once more, and he managed to pull the cover up over her shoulder with his other hand. He kissed her forehead gently before leaning back against his pillow and waiting patiently for sleep to take him.

He really didn't know what Rangiku was on about; first dates were not awkward at all.

…

 **The end.**

 **Kidding (not kidding), there will be a short epilogue to follow and will go up next weekend-ish (maybs – LethanWolf and I have jobs and sometimes we work on weekends)**

 **Thank you my lovelies, pretty please review mine and LethanWolf's chapters to let us know what you thought of Toshiro's lucky first date ;) (Wouldn't we all love someone to buy us that much food?)**

 **Geishaaa xoxo**

 **PS: who got the Princess Diaries reference?! xD**


	5. Epilogue

Seireitei News: Special Edition

Editor: Shuhei Hisagi

Sub Editor(s): Nanao Ise & Rangiku Matsumoto

Shinigami Hottest Cold Couple

 _Yesterday things seemed to heat up between two very prominent Shinigami who have now found themselves in the centre of a scandal. Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki of the 13_ _th_ _division and Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya of the 10_ _th_ _division both found themselves being subject to something terrible; each other. What's worse? They enjoyed it._

 _The two young Shinigami were granted access to the living world for a date that would then lead onto some sultry actions to follow. After skating on ice and sharing a bond over a mutual elemental zanpakuto they made their way to a restaurant where they would proceed to eat everything on the menu. Rukia's appetite may surprise our readers given her tiny slight frame but appears to be normal for the Kuchiki noblewoman who was also seen eating the same amount of food at a function just a week before._

 _They then ran into Ichigo Kurosaki the Substitute Soul Reaper before brutally attacking him and leaving him on the street._  
 _'She was all over him,' Ichigo told us, 'she was kissing his neck and he had his hands on her thighs as she rode him.'_

 _This news comes as a startling shock to Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, Rukia's older brother who would not give a statement about their growing relationship. The people most surprised however were the students of the Shinigami Academy where the Captain and Lieutenant met after their date to give a demonstration of their bankai to all the students. It seemed the academy was preparing its students for the possible bodily changes that can result as part of the release of a bankai or shikai but the demonstration turned dangerous after Toshiro Hitsugaya's bankai release in its mature form caused some stirrings in the young Kuchiki's reiatsu. The reiatsu release of two zanpakuto with similar elements or shared techniques results in something called 'Seishin-tekina tsunagari' which is a spiritual bond shared through the mutual understanding or links between souls._

 _In the case of Rukia Kuchiki and Toshiro Hitsugaya the Seishin-tekina tsunagari was too much to bear and after nearly destroying the academy they left swiftly. The head trainer of the school stated that they had to usher the students back inside because of the force of the combined reiatsu. After this event the two were last seen making their way swiftly to the 10_ _th_ _division headquarters. From there we lost sight of them but their reiatsu went off like a spiritual bomb alerting everyone in the Seireitei to their actions. What would cause a Captain and Lieutenant to lose control of their spiritual pressure like that while inside a home together at night?_

 _It is understood that the two are unaware that the whole of the Seireitei felt the effects of their love making and when they emerge today it will likely come as a surprise to them._  
 _So the question on everyone's minds this morning; was this just a one night stand? Are they going to continue seeing each other? Will the SWA ever get a thank you for being the first to initiate intimate contact between the two when they were locked in a chamber together? The investigation is still ongoing…_

 _..._

Toshiro frowned and opened his mouth to speak but no words formed. "… _the whole of the Seireitei felt the effects of their love making…"_ Well, that certainly explained the weird behaviour from his squad members that morning; everyone stopped congratulate him and pat him on the back, all with wide encouraging smiles. Of course, he hadn't known what they'd been congratulating him for since he hadn't expected them all to actually _feel_ his intimacy with Rukia.

The prodigy glanced up at his troublesome lieutenant who beamed at him from the other side of his desk; the newspaper was opened between them.

"Isn't this great, Captain?" Rangiku giggled, "Now everyone knows you're straight!"

Toshiro's frown deepened, "That's not-"

"And everyone knows you're with Rukia so they won't try and hit on her."

"Who hits on her?"

"And the best part is that you guys will be the new power couple around here!"

"Power couple?"

"Captain," Rangiku sung, "You're a celebrity now!"

Toshiro rolled his eyes; of course Rangiku thought selling out his and Rukia's privacy was a good thing; as his lieutenant, his fame equalled her fame, and that's why she'd helped write this terrible edition of the Seireitei News. To be fair, once the initial embarrassment had worn off, the Squad Ten captain was feeling rather good about it, or at the very least, not as angry as he would normally be. Maybe it was because now it seemed he and Rukia were an official couple? Or maybe it was because he'd just had sex with the most beautiful female soul reaper to ever exist? Or maybe it was because – _okay no, it was the sex thing._

Picking up the newspaper, Toshiro flicked through the pages; literally every story was about him or Rukia. There were opinion pieces, comic strips, photos from the date… Toshiro glared up at Rangiku who was still grinning madly – she'd definitely taken these photographs. There was even a series of pictures from the perfect throw they'd done while ice skating and the young genius had to suppress the smug feeling growing in his chest. _It did look pretty cool._

There was another page about Rukia's fashion, titled 'How to dress like Rukia'. There were pictures of her in various outfits, including the date outfit and her stunning kimono from the feast, and under each was the brand and price of each item of clothing and where to buy them. They also included a step-by-step guide on how to style hair like Rukia's on the night of the feast. Toshiro rolled his eyes; they even included information on where to by violet-coloured contacts so women could get Rukia's eyes.

He flicked over a few more pages and found the quiz section. Toshiro blanched when he saw a quiz titled 'How well do you know Captain Hitsugaya?' where question one was 'How many girls has Hitsugaya kissed before Rukia Kuchiki?' The prodigy's eyes flicked to the corner of the page for the answers and groaned when the truthful answer of 'zero' was written in tiny black ink.

"Was that really necessary?" Toshiro glared at Rangiku _again._

The busty blonde grinned, "I wouldn't have known if you didn't tell Rukia."

"You were eavesdropping too?!"

"Only a little bit," She giggled, "Go to page sixteen! I did an interview on your behalf!"

Clenching his jaw and hurriedly skipping to page sixteen, Toshiro found the aforementioned interview. There was a picture of Rangiku – which she had clearly taken of herself – and in the background, the white haired captain was asleep at his desk with ink all over his face. A dull throbbing pain settled in Toshiro's skull. His eyes moved down to the interview.

 **Rangiku, you and your captain are said to be the closest captain-lieutenant team out of all thirteen divisions. Is this true?**  
 _Of course it is! My captain and I are so close, we're practically family._

 **What can you tell us about his real personality? What is he like behind closed doors?**  
 _Well, everyone thinks he is a cold hearted robot, but in reality, he is such a little sweetheart! He's really adorable and cute. He also loves cuddles! That was why I was so shocked to realise how much he'd grown up since I found him wandering helplessly around Junrinan._

"Matsumoto…"

"Shhh, keep reading," Rangiku giggled, "It gets better!"

 **How do you feel about his new relationship with Rukia Kuchiki, or as we now know them as, 'HitsuRuki'?**  
 _I'm really happy for him! In fact, it was my idea in the first place to lock them in that chamber. I think it's really paid off, I just hope I get a thank you for my efforts._

 **We have received reports that you knew he was straight, even before his interest in Rukia; would you care to explain how you knew about his sexuality?**  
 _It all started when I was looking in his bedroom for some reports and I discovered a certain magazine that I had seen once in the human world. It was full of pictures of naked women and tips for sex. My poor captain was so embarrassed, he even tried to blame it on our Head Captain._

"MATSUMOTO!"

"Keep reading!"

 **Captain Hitsugaya has a dirty magazine?!**  
 _No, of course not! I'm only joking! To answer the question of how I knew he was straight, let's just say 'women's intuition', and of course, how could any man have me for a lieutenant and be gay?_

Rolling his eyes and sighing, Toshiro hoped that the cover up would be enough to sway people from the truth.

"You're not very angry, Captain," Rangiku smiled at him, "I thought you might have been really mad at me."

"I am mad at you," Toshiro grumbled, turning the page over to find a series of short-people jokes at his and Rukia's expense.

"Barely."

"Do you want me to be angrier?" the prodigy glared.

"No, of course not," Rangiku chuckled, "I'm just happy that Rukia has managed to relax you. It's a nice change."

Ignoring her, he continued to go through the magazine and stopped when he found 'HitsuRuki; a Fan Art Collection.' Drawings, paintings, and means of 'art' all depicting Toshiro and Rukia together, ranging from sickly sweet and romantic to very suggestive, and almost borderline pornography. The captain was surprised the newspaper had managed to get so many submissions in overnight, but as he looked down at the artists, he noticed most of them were SWA members. Most of the artwork was terrible, but some of it was kind of hot; Toshiro made a note to keep this copy of the Seireitei News.

In all honestly, he was nowhere near as furious as he should have been. He just couldn't bring himself to be that angry, especially not when he was in such a good mood from the night before. Even waking up had been fantastic; Rukia had looked so peaceful and cute asleep, he'd tried not wake her up. He'd managed to get as far as pulling on his kosode and had his hakama pants up to his mid thighs when he'd turned around to look for his obi but instead was greeted with the all too sexy image of Rukia's ass. It was mostly covered by a thin sheet but Toshiro knew what was under the cover. The way her back curved in bed, almost pronouncing her shape, was beyond sexy. He didn't know how long he'd been staring when Rukia awoke, her mouth twitching smugly when he still couldn't take his eyes off her. She hadn't even said anything, just making a small gesture with her hand to beckon him back to her side and Toshiro was there instantly, clothes sliding back off as he slid under the sheet beside her.

"You're smitten," Rangiku teased, poking Toshiro's cheek and the prodigy realised he'd been smiling for seemingly no reason at all.

Toshiro scoffed but his face was on fire and Rangiku began to swoon. She leant down to kiss him on the cheek before dancing around the office and towards the door.

"I can't wait to tell the SWA!" she chirped excitedly.

"Just one thing before you go, Matsumoto," Toshiro called causing Rangiku to look over her shoulder questioningly. The prodigy lifted the newspaper off the desk and retrieved the envelope sitting beneath it. He held it out to her, "A member of Squad Six dropped this off this morning. It's addressed to you."

 _In Captain Kuchiki's handwriting…_

Toshiro smirked; he could imagine exactly what that letter might say, and although he didn't like the idea of Rangiku being threatened by another captain, he figured a little fear might do her some good.

Rangiku's eyes skimmed over the letter and immediately her face paled. Toshiro took a patient sip of his tea, keeping his face pleasant.

"Everything okay, Matsumoto?" he asked innocently, "You look a little unwell…"

"I, um – uhh, no, I-I don't feel very well," Rangiku murmured, her eyes not leaving the letter, "I think I might go lay down…"

"But you'll miss your SWA meeting?" Toshiro feigned pity but inside he was cheering.

"Th-that's okay," Rangiku nodded quickly and unconvincingly, "I think the SWA is going to take a little break…"

With that she slipped from the room and the captain heard her feet moving hastily down the hallway. He couldn't help but chuckle; he decided liked the idea of Byakuya coming in and disciplining her so he didn't have to. It was both effective and made Toshiro look like the good guy. Rukia would be amused, he was sure, and with the SWA taking a break, and it seemed that they would be able to have a touch more privacy. Now all they had to do was work on controlling their spiritual pressure in the bedroom. Toshiro smirked; well, _practice makes perfect_.

…

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